Sweet Surrender
by Elisabeth James
Summary: Serena and Darien come from two different backgrounds but find themselves falling for one another. Can they reach beyond social barriers and grab ahold of the love before them?
1. An Angel

Sweet Surrender  
Part 1/?  
By Elisabeth James  
liz221@ameritech.net  
  
*ducks as objects come at her head* WAIT! before you  
all call for my head for starting yet another fic without finishing  
Forbidden Hearts, I have a good explanation. *everyone pauses*   
Well... no not really, I just wanted to write something new. *ducks  
again* But this might cause some inspiration for FH! *backs  
away* I can see where this is heading, I'm outta here! *takes off*  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon.  
  
American names disclaimer- this fic just wouldn't have  
worked in Japan so much to my chagrin I have to use the dub  
names *shudders* please forgive me.  
  
~* Chapter 1: An angel*~  
  
Serena Bancroft knelt down with a soft groan, the hard  
ground was unyielding to her already sore knees. She could feel  
the sweat running down the side of her face and soaking through  
her pale purple T-shirt. She shot a glance toward her left, her  
mother was quickly digging holes to place the plants into. Serena  
gave a quick jerk to the handle of the red wagon sitting a few feet  
from her and pulled it closer.  
It was overflowing with greenery, flowers bloomed  
amongst the branches and it reminded her of a painting the way the  
colors flowed together. She brushed the sweat from her forehead  
and let out a soft sigh. There were far better places she could be at  
this moment.   
Her mother's work was a place Serena seldom wanted to  
be. She hated gardening, the small green plants she always kept in  
her bedroom seemed to die no matter what she did. She sighed as  
she picked up a small flowering bush from the small cart and  
handed it to her mother.   
"What's wrong Serena?" her mother was a quiet woman,  
who rarely spoke to anyone but her daughter or her employer.   
Serena smiled at the obvious concern, but wasn't about to tell her  
mom what she really thought of her job.  
"I'm just tired that's all, school seemed to drag on this  
week." she picked up a garden trowel and started to dig. The soft  
black dirt gave easily to the metal tool, and she plopped another  
plant into the ground.  
"I'm sorry to hear that." she smiled at her 16 year old  
daughter, "I spoke to Mr. Harrison today. He's more than willing  
to take you on as an employee." Serena stopped patting down the  
dirt and turned to look at the older woman next to her.  
"I thought we agreed that I wouldn't work with you. You  
know gardening is not my thing." Mrs. Bancroft barely glanced her  
way as she continued to dig.  
"You need the money, you can't keep painting all the time.   
You need to get out and do something with your life." her mother's  
voice didn't rise above a loud whisper, as always, but the  
disapproval was there. Serena shook her head, so that was the  
problem. Painting was Serena's passion in life, it was the one  
thing she excelled at. Her mother had always frowned upon it,  
wanting her daughter to do more with her life.  
"I hate this place mom, you know that. It's not just the  
gardening I can't stand." she glanced at the large house to her left.   
The entire Harrison estate made her sick, they lived in  
extravagance while paying their employees next to nothing for  
their hard work and loyalty. Mrs. Bancroft had worked here for  
years as the gardener and she and her daughter could barely afford  
the apartment they currently resided in.  
"Honey, you hardly know the Harrisons. One little staff  
party-" Serena stood up abruptly and stared downward at her  
mother.  
"They didn't even know your name! You've worked here  
my entire life and they don't even know who you are! There's  
something wrong with that." Mrs. Bancroft realized she had lost  
the fight to have her daughter accept the job as her assistant.  
"Fine Serena, I will inform Mr. Harrison tomorrow that I'll  
continue to work here without your help. He'll be pleased with the  
prospect of not having to pay you."   
Serena rolled her eyes, "I hate all of them and everything  
they stand for mother, nothing will ever change that."   
  
Darien Harrison pushed back the white curtains that  
blocked his view of the girl in his yard. She was fascinating to  
watch, a being from completely outside his circle. He took another  
bite from his apple, never taking his piercing blue eyes from her  
form. He could hear someone come up behind him, trying to see  
what he was looking at so intensely. He set the core down on the  
table and spotted his little sister looking over his shoulder.  
"Who is she?" his voice was soft with emotion and his  
younger sister took a step back. This wasn't the Darien she knew,  
her brother had always been cold, silent, almost heartless to those  
who didn't know him.  
"That's the gardener's daughter. I don't know her name,  
I've never bothered to speak to her." Mehgan smiled and ruffled  
her big brother's hair, "Maybe you should go out there and  
introduce yourself."  
Darien shook his head, "I would never know what to say to  
her, I'm sure we have nothing in common." his voice remained  
steady, not skipping a beat. A brief smile crossed Mehgan's face,  
that was the Darien she knew.   
"How about hi, most girls seem to like that. It should  
invoke a response as well." she smiled sweetly at him and took his  
hand, meaning to pull him toward the kitchen door. He planted his  
heels firmly and wouldn't budge.  
"Mehg, if you were smart you would let go of my hand."  
She raised an eyebrow in his direction, "And if I don't?"  
She let out a loud shriek as his arms wrapped tightly around  
her waist and began to tickle her.  
"Stop it!" Mehgan struggled out of the vice grip, tears  
streaming down her cheeks from laughing. Darien grinned  
boyishly and was about to turn back to the window to watch the  
blond in the garden some more when the phone interrupted him.   
Mehgan grabbed the receiver and said a cheerful hello. She placed  
her hand over the mouthpiece.  
"It's Rachael, do you want to talk to her?" he motioned for  
the phone and smiled as his sister walked out of the kitchen,  
abandoning her quest.  
"Hi honey. What's up?" he leaned against the table, and  
resumed his staring.  
"Not much I was just wondering if I could stop by tonight,  
there's something important I needed to speak to you about." his  
eyebrows narrowed at the words.  
"Is something wrong?" he asked, trying not to betray his  
confusion in his voice.  
She laughed softly, almost nervously, "No, just want to  
talk. I'll stop by about 8:30 or so."  
"Okay, I'll see you then. Bye." he gently hung up the  
phone, his thoughts completely torn away from the gardener's  
daughter. Deep in thought he walked out of the kitchen.  
  
Serena let another blob of paint fall onto her canvas before  
smearing it around. She was aiming for something abstract, just a  
blur of colors to describe her feelings. So far it wasn't working  
out.  
She wasn't in the mood to paint tonight, she felt restless,  
she needed to get up and move around. She set her paintbrush  
down carefully on her pallet and walked out of her bedroom.   
The setting sun cast long shadows around the tiny  
apartment, filling the space with a heavenly golden glow. She  
could smell dinner cooking in the kitchen and made her way  
around all the boxes of gardening equipment that had secured a  
permanent place in their living room.  
"What's for dinner?" Serena watched as her mother pulled  
out an inconspicuous object from inside the oven. The older  
woman stood up and smiled at her daughter.  
"Barbecued chicken." her daughter made a terrible face.  
"I'm a vegetarian mom, you know that." her mother started  
to laugh.  
"I always think you'll give up on that sooner or later. Does  
that mean you don't want to eat here tonight?" Serena shrugged  
and remained in the doorway watching her mother. "Well since  
that obviously appears to be the case, could you do me a favor?"  
"Well I had to go and drop off some of my paintings at the  
college for the art show next week." Serena said apologetically  
"Oh good, you can do this on your way there. I left some  
of my equipment at the Harrison house this afternoon and I need it  
for tomorrow when I go to Emily's house to help her out."  
"Please don't make me go, once was enough for a lifetime  
today." she knew she was whining but couldn't help it, her mother  
knew how she felt about those people.  
"I left the box by the garage, it should only take a minute to  
grab and then you can be on your way again." her mother charged  
onward, flashing her child a knowing smile.  
"Fine, I suppose I can stop if it makes you happy." Serena  
walked out of the kitchen and back to her bedroom to gather up the  
pieces she had decided to enter in the art show.  
  
She drove silently to the mansion on the other side of town,  
deep in thought. She pulled up into the long driveway and parked  
her car back near the garage so she wouldn't have far to walk. She  
stepped slowly out of the car, admiring the way the large house  
stood against the night sky. It was aglow with lights in almost  
every room and the silhouette of people could be made out as they  
walked past the windows. She sighed, she loved that house even if  
she hated the people inside of it.  
She walked to the side of the garage and saw the large box  
almost immediately. But something drew her gaze to far right and  
she saw the tennis courts glowing with harsh white lights overhead  
and a solitary figure hitting balls against the chain link fence that  
surrounded it.  
Without so much as another glance at the object that was  
her reason for being here she started toward the courts, unsure of  
what she was looking for.   
She watched the man before her slam another ball into the  
fence, the cold steel reverberated, the ringing sound cut through  
the warm night air. She stopped a few feet, standing in the  
shadows, observing silently.  
His muscular back rippled underneath his shirt as he threw  
another ball into the air and smashed it as hard as he could. The  
white lights enabled her a better look at his face, and she felt a soft  
gasp escape her throat.   
She took a few tentative steps forward, drawn by his  
commanding profile. His dark hair shone underneath the light  
falling over his brilliant blue eyes. She felt the urge to paint him,  
and capture all that beauty on the canvas. His face was troubled,  
she almost smiled at the sight. What did a man like that have to  
worry about?  
She continued around the fence, walking carefully to not  
alert him to her presence. She stopped behind him, and placed her  
hands silently on the fence. She didn't care if he noticed her now,  
all she really wanted to do was speak to him and see if this was  
real.  
  
Darien let his racket fall to his side as he glanced briefly at  
his watch and then at the empty gate at the other end of the court.   
She should have been here by now. Trying to contain the anger  
and uneasiness he felt flowing through him, he plucked another  
tennis ball from the basket by his feet and sent the ball flying  
through the air. It clattered against the metal and fell at the foot of  
the gate.  
"You know you really should watch where you're hitting  
those things Darien." a soft female voice spoke up from the  
shadows as a petite girl stood at the opening to enclosed space. He  
dropped to the ground and he jogged towards her, eager to see  
what her phone call from earlier meant.  
"Rachael, I thought you weren't going to come." his face  
remained impassive, not showing any of the relief he felt inside at  
seeing her and hearing her voice.  
"I said I needed to talk to you about something important.   
Maybe we should sit down somewhere." he opened the gate and  
led her inside to the bench along the side. She sat down quickly,  
eager to get the task at hand done with. "Darien, I don't think we  
should see each other anymore." he didn't even flinch at the  
words, it was as if he didn't hear them.  
After a moment he spoke, "Whatever you want Rachael is  
fine by me." he didn't look at her, instead he turned around so she  
couldn't see the pain in his eyes.  
"Don't you even want to know why?" she stood and  
touched his shoulder. He flinched away; she had never expected  
this sort of reaction of him, no matter how cold he had acted in the  
past.  
"I don't need a reason, I don't even care." but his voice  
betrayed him, his words were filled with unknown emotions.  
She continued on anyway, "Everyone told me you've been  
seeing someone else behind my back, even your closest friends. I  
don't want to believe them but I not sure about our relationship  
right now. You've become distant lately." she wrung her hands  
together, and kept her eyes on the green carpet beneath her feet.  
"How can you say that? How can you believe those  
rumors? You were the first girl I've ever really trusted, doesn't  
that mean anything to you?" he turned to face her and she was  
shocked at how adamant he was about proving her accusation  
wrong.  
"Do you swear nothing happened between you and anyone  
else?" she whispered, touching his cheek. His strong arms  
wrapped around her, pulling her close to his form.  
"I swear Rachael, you're the only girl for me." he bent  
down to kiss when suddenly she jerk away from him.  
"Then who's that?!" she pointed a well manicured nail in  
Serena's direction at the other end of the court. Darien's eyes  
widened at the sight of the angel from the garden standing only  
twenty feet away.  
  
~* To be Continued... *~  
  
*carefully steps in again* I know this was short but I  
wanted to see if anyone would be interested in seeing me finish it.   
I have big plans for this fic! There will be plenty of romance to  
come, you have my personal guarantee!  
  
Special thanks- Clare-chan, Lauren (who helped me write  
the end, without her it wouldn't be done), Adrianne, and Meredith,  
my wonderful editor :)  
And a special shout out to all my fellow EMSiTs!!!  
  
Liz-chan 


	2. First Encounters

  
Sweet Surrender  
Part 2/?  
By Elisabeth James  
liz221@ameritech.net  
  
Hello all and welcome back to my special EMSiT Day  
fic. It's been awhile huh? I'm trying to make this my most  
romantic fic yet and it should be an epic one at that. I have big  
plans for this fic so please stay tuned and enjoy!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon  
  
Once again I apologize for using U.S. version names, try  
to look past it if possible :)  
  
~* Chapter two- First Encounters *~  
  
"Then who's that?!" she pointed a neatly manicured nail  
in Serena's direction at the other end of the court. Darien's eyes  
widened at the sight of the angel from the garden standing only  
twenty feet away.  
  
Serena felt all the blood rush to her face, she had been  
caught watching their argument. He was staring at her now,  
those brilliant blue eyes huge with amazement. She pulled her  
hands from the fence, knowing that this would be the best time  
to leave but something held her there. She took a step back, still  
transfixed with his eyes. Finally it was the brunette in his arms  
that knocked them both back to earth.  
"It's true, isn't it? Here I was, gullible enough to believe  
you and here's your- your whore standing on the side waiting for  
me to leave!" she struggled out of Darien's strong embrace. He  
slowly turned his eyes to her, afraid that if he looked away the  
blond angel would disappear.  
"Rachael, it's not what it looks like, I swear!" she shot  
him a look of pure contempt and marched from the tennis court  
leaving him to watch her retreating back. The gate slammed shut  
behind her, the sound echoed throughout the vast yard, breaking  
Serena from her trace.  
  
At the sound of Rachael's footfalls across the tennis  
courts, Serena realized somewhere in the back of her mind that  
the other girl was leaving. She watched in horror as the woman  
(she was probably the handsome man's girlfriend) ran into the  
darkness leaving her feeling utterly alone. She snapped her  
attention back to the blue- eyed stranger who was now calmly  
approaching her. The expression his face was unreadable, and  
she wasn't willing to take any chances.  
"Who are you?" she barely heard his words over the roar  
of the blood rushing past her ears. She stepped back and broke  
into a run, trying to get back to her car and out of the situation as  
quickly as possible. She could hear the other gate open, the one  
she had been standing next to, and knew he was rushing after  
her.  
Her white tennis shoes slid across the grass under her feet  
as she fought to regain traction on the slippery surface. She  
threw a glance quickly over her shoulder, and saw him quickly  
closing in on her. The look on his face was determined, his lips  
set in a firm line. Her already racing heart sped up to triple time  
as she felt his cool gaze on her back. She felt her balance start to  
go, her arms flailed involuntarily to try and save her. In those  
few precious seconds, he had caught up with her  
His large hands wrapped around her arm, pulling her  
backwards in an almost violent action. Her feet flew out from  
underneath her as his arm wrapped around her stomach to try and  
steady her. She felt the world tilt crazily around her as the both  
of them crashed to the ground.  
Serena felt the air leave her lungs as she made impact,  
her head slammed into the earth, causing a sharp pain to echo  
through her brain. Her eyes slid shut as she fought to force air in  
and out of her lungs, it felt as if there was a 200 pound person  
standing on her chest.  
"Are you all right?" the voice cut through the throbbing  
in her head and she slowly opened her eyes to find a familiar  
looking man lying on top of her. His blue eyes were gazing into  
hers with a fierceness that made her shudder. She opened her  
mouth to speak, her mind finally clicking together the pieces that  
she had been given. This was Darien Harrison, the oldest of the  
Harrisons' three children, heir to the corporate throne of the  
Harrison empire. She had only seen him a couple of times at a  
few functions she had attended with her mother. He had been  
tall, well-built and undeniably handsome. He had also been  
extremely cold and withdrawn.  
He slid off of her, a slight blush gracing his features, at  
least one of them had the nerve to be embarrassed. He stood up,  
and was looking down at her, studying her face, "I- I'm fine." he  
offered her a hand to help her stand up and she accepted it  
gratefully and he hoisted her effortlessly to her feet. Her  
thoughts were swimming, and she couldn't fight off the feeling  
of dizziness that circled around her. He placed a hand on her  
shoulder to help steady her and she shot him a warm smile.   
"Thank you."   
"If you don't mind me asking, what are you doing here?"  
The smile abruptly left her face, "My mother sent me to pick up  
a box she had forgotten earlier. I saw you outside so I thought I  
might ask you if you had seen it." she lied, unsure if he would  
believe her but he only nodded. He glanced quickly at his watch,  
and then met her eyes once more, "Why don't you come inside  
so I can take a look at your head, you hit it pretty hard in the fall.   
Plus the sprinklers should start going off-" without warning the  
sprinkler system kicked on, soaking them both in seconds, "any  
minute now..."  
Serena couldn't help but laugh at their predicament as a  
cold artificial rain cascaded down upon them. Darien smiled at  
her boyishly as he lead her into the inviting house before them.  
  
"Here, you can use this to dry off. I'm going to go  
change into some dry clothes." Darien tossed her a towel and  
then disappeared down the hallway leading away from the  
kitchen.   
She dried her face, arms and legs off and wrung her hair  
out in the sink. The kitchen was a warm sunny place decorated  
in bright yellow and white. It was such a contradiction from the  
dark tiny kitchen in her apartment that she walked around  
touching everything and taking it all in.  
"What it must be like to live here..." she whispered out  
loud. A voice interrupted her thoughts, "It's terribly lonely  
actually, and everything is so fragile, I'm afraid to go near half of  
it." she spun around to find Darien standing in the doorway  
watching her. He was clad a simple gray T-shirt and a pair of  
boxers and he had a pile of clothes in his hands. He handed  
them to her, "They're my sister's, she's about your size so they  
should fit." she nodded silently and accepted them, "The  
bathroom is right over there." she padded down the hallway and  
closed the bathroom door behind her.  
Darien walked over to the kitchen table and pulled out a  
chair and sat down. The consequences of his actions tonight had  
just started to set in. Rachael had broken up with him because  
someone had told her he was seeing someone else behind her  
back. There was no one else in his life but her. The voice in the  
back of his head argued with him almost immediately, reminding  
him of the girl changing down the hallway. But that was just an  
infatuation, she was too young for him, nothing would ever come  
of their relationship, if it could even be called that...  
  
Serena studied her reflection in the bathroom mirror, her  
damp hair hung limply around her shoulders all the way to her  
knees since she had taken down her buns. Her face was free of  
makeup, her ivory skin still glowing from her dash across the  
yard. The clothes she now had on were a little too big, she didn't  
fill out the tanktop like his sister must have because it was baggy  
on her slim frame and the jean shorts rode low on her hips.  
"Why do I have to be so darn skinny?" she asked herself,  
"I'm flat as a brick wall..."   
She ran a brush through her hair before opening the door  
and stepping out into the hallway. The butterflies in her stomach  
were fluttering like mad, making a sick feeling wash over her.   
She was a complete stranger to him, and she wanted so badly to  
make a good impression when she walked out there. All she had  
done so far was embarrass herself terribly in his presence.  
He was sitting at the kitchen table when she walked into  
the room, his head cradled in his hands, his eyes closed in deep  
thought. She pulled the pile of wet clothes closer to her, unsure  
of what to do or say.  
"Well... I guess I'll be going now. Thanks for the dry  
clothes, I'll have my mother bring them with her on Monday  
when she comes in." His head jerked up at the sound of her voice  
and he turned to look at her.  
"Are you sure your head is okay?" he rose from his chair  
and took a step toward her, she countered with a step back. "I'm  
fine Darien." she said his name without thinking and she walked  
quickly toward the exit. He stepped in front of her, blocking her  
escape.  
"I'll walk you out to your car-" he paused, realizing that  
he still didn't know her name. "I'm sorry I don't know your  
name."  
Serena smiled, taken back by his warmth and openness, it  
was a complete opposite of what she thought he was like, "It's  
Serena, my mother is your gardener."  
He grinned and opened the door for her, "I figured, I have  
been wondering who you were for ages. I saw you helping her  
earlier today." The crickets had begun their nightly chirping, and  
the sound rung through the air. The sprinkler had already shut  
off, leaving the grass dewy and sparkling under the moonlight.   
"She begged me to come along, I personally can't stand  
gardening. I have a somewhat regretful effect on plants." she  
smiled slightly, completely relaxed in his presence.  
"What would that be?" he paused a few feet from the  
station wagon, wanting to prolong the conversation.  
"I kill them." Serena tried to keep a straight face as the  
broad shouldered man beside her let out a deep chuckle. And air  
of seriousness settled in over them, making her shiver, "That girl  
I saw in the tennis court... She was your girlfriend, wasn't she."  
Darien nodded, "It looks like she's my ex-girlfriend now,  
she was broke up with me tonight. Someone was telling her that  
I was fooling around with another girl behind her back."  
The pieces clicked together in Serena's mind, "And she  
saw me and assumed I was the girl." when Darien didn't reply,  
guilt blossomed in her chest. "I'm sorry Darien."  
"It's not your fault, I have a feeling it would have ended  
soon anyways. It's hard to have a relationship without trust." she  
nodded and started walking toward her car again. She spotted  
the box her mother had sent her to fetch by the garage. She  
walked over to it and picked it up with ease.  
"Well this is what I came here for, I guess I can be on my  
way now." Darien opened her trunk for her, noticing that there  
wasn't a lot of space left. "Oh shoot, I completely forgot I have  
my paintings back here." She glanced at her watch, "And it's too  
late to take them to the college to drop them off."  
"We can just put it in the back seat." he opened the door  
on the driver side and she set the box inside on the seat. "Do you  
paint?"  
She grinned, "All the time, my mother says it will amount  
to nothing, but I love it. I'm entered in the local art show next  
weekend, I was supposed to go and set up tonight. I guess I'll  
have to wait until tomorrow." she closed the car door and opened  
the one in front of it, ready to get in.  
"Do you need some help, some of those paintings look  
pretty heavy for a girl to be carrying around." he placed his arm  
across the top of the door, his form casting a shadow over her  
face. A look of surprise flashed across her delicate features  
before a breathtaking smile took it's place, "Umm... sure, help  
would be wonderful."  
"Okay, can I get your phone number, I'll call you  
tomorrow morning for directions. Is that all right with you?" She  
told him the number and watched him write it on a slip of paper  
he pulled out of his T-shirt pocket. She slid completely into the  
car and he shut the door gently behind her.  
"I'll see you tomorrow then." she started the engine up  
and put the car in reverse and started to back down the long  
driveway. He waved briefly, watching the headlights fade into  
the darkness before walking back into the house.  
  
Mehgan had been watching the entire outdoor exchange  
from one of the windows in the kitchen. A sly smile played  
across her lips as her big brother made his way back into the  
house. She jumped into the doorway as soon as he had pushed it  
open.  
"Soooooooooooo, what's her name?" Darien jumped a  
little, not expecting the young girl to leap out at him.  
"Mehg, you don't waste any time do you?" Darien  
grumbled as he gently pushed past her to get into the kitchen. He  
put the piece of paper on the kitchen table where he wouldn't  
lose it and started toward the stairs to go to bed. Mehgan  
grabbed onto his arm and pulled him backwards to face her.  
"Nope, I'm an opportunist, so spill. What's her name,  
how old is she, what was she doing here so late at night?" Darien  
let out a soft chuckle at his sister's antics.  
"First off, it's not that late, it's only nine o'clock. Second  
of all, her mother forgot something here earlier so she came to  
pick it up. And last but not least, her name's Serena and I don't  
know how old she is." Mehgan was quiet for a moment as she  
processed the information.  
"So you could be a cradle robber and not even know it."  
Darien shot his younger sister a warning look telling her not to  
go down that path right now. "What! You are twenty years old,  
she doesn't look that old to me."  
"Mehg, please, it's been a long night. Between Rachael  
breaking up with me-" she cut him off midsentence, "Rachael  
broke up with you?" he nodded grimly.  
"Sucks to be you. But now you're free for Serena." she  
chirped happily. Darien had long since given up trying to reason  
with his sister, she lived with her head in the clouds and was a  
hopeless romantic. It was best in most cases to just let the issue  
drop and let her think whatever she wanted. He started toward  
the stairs to go upstairs to his room, "Goodnight Mehg."  
"I can just picture your wedding now, she'll make a  
beautiful bride. They'll be roses everywhere and doves, you  
can't have a wedding without doves." she was ticking things off  
on her fingers as she mentioned them.  
"Goodnight Mehg." he repeated and she made a shooing  
motion to him before turning to the refrigerator humming the  
wedding march. She watched her brother's broad back retreat up  
the stairs and finally heard his door click shut. She pounced on  
the slip of paper and reached for the portable phone. She dialed  
up Serena's number quickly and was giddy with relief when a  
young girl picked up the phone. "Is this Serena? Oh good, this  
is Mehgan, Darien's younger sister. I was wondering if maybe  
you wanted to have a sleepover tonight..."  
  
~To be continued...~  
  
Okay this was kinda short, but what did everyone think?   
My plot is kinda kicking in now, wait until it gets into full swing  
:) Please send feedback and let me know what you think of the  
fic thus far!  
  
My thanks goes out to: Mehg (who is the one who keeps  
begging for this dratted thing) Mere for her editting efforts and  
Clare who, even though she isn't into SM anymore, still reads  
my stuff :)  
  
Liz-chan 


	3. A Matchmaker At Large

  
Sweet Surrender  
Part 3/?  
By Elisabeth James  
liz221@ameritech.net  
Website: http://www.crosswinds.net/~liz221/  
  
Wow I am on a roll! Who knows where this  
could lead?! Maybe even a new chapter to Forbidden  
Hearts if the cards are right!  
  
I decided to put my thank yous at the beginning  
this time, in case you find this so boring you can't even  
make it to the end. A special thanks to Mehg who has  
been with me every step of the way on this dratted thing,  
forcing me to write. Meredith for all the wonderful help  
she gives me on my fics, they're less than perfect before  
she steps in to help. And Clare for her continued support  
of everything in my life, LYLAS babe!  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon  
  
This uses US names, but is not a dub fic, it's an  
AU, you have been warned.  
  
*~ Chapter 3- A Matchmaker At Large *~  
  
"What am I doing here?" Serena glanced at the  
large mansion that loomed in front of her as she stepped  
out of her station wagon onto the Harrison property for  
the second time that night. When Mehgan had called her  
an hour ago, she had been extremely surprised to hear  
from the girl but had accepted the invitation. She was  
pleased at the aspect of making a new friend.  
She slung her bag over her shoulder, grabbed her  
pillow from the backseat and made her way to the kitchen  
door. Drawing in a deep breath, Serena rapped sharply  
on the screen door.  
It flew open and a dark haired girl quickly pulled  
her into the house. Serena opened her mouth to say hello,  
but Mehgan held a finger to her lips, "Shhh... Darien will  
kill me if he finds out you're here."  
"Mehgan, he doesn't know I'm going to be here?"  
Serena whispered, curious about why her presence was  
such a big secret. The dark haired girl grinned in reply  
and pulled Serena up the stairs and down the hall to her  
bedroom.   
Mehgan was almost identical to her big brother,  
dark ebony hair, big blue eyes and dark skin. Her hair  
was pulled back in a messy ponytail but it was long,  
down to the middle of her back and those blue eyes were  
sparkling with mischief and one could almost see the  
little devil perched on her shoulder. There was one major  
difference between the two siblings that Serena could  
see, Mehgan was approachable and open while Darien  
seemed to have a wall built around him to keep unwanted  
guests out. It didn't take a genius to figure out that aside  
from appearances Darien and Mehgan were as different  
as night and day when it came down to their  
personalities.  
Mehgan shut the door to her room and turned on  
the lights. The bedroom was massive, bigger than  
Serena's entire apartment. "Wow, you're room is  
beautiful." she breathed as she glanced around at all the  
pictures and knick knacks that adorned the walls and  
shelves. It seemed more like a princess dwelled here  
than a normal teenaged girl.  
"Thanks, I just redecorated a few months ago."  
Mehgan studied the blond haired girl in front of her,  
trying to see what her brother would find so special. It  
wasn't everyday he opened himself up to a complete  
stranger, there had to be something about her... "I know  
this is awkward, me calling out of the blue and all but I  
was lonely and you didn't look all that happy when you  
left earlier."  
"You were watching us?" Serena asked, surprised  
that she hadn't noticed the dark haired girl watching her  
and Darien.  
"I caught the tail end of the conversation, I was  
coming downstairs to get something to eat before I went  
to bed when I spotted you two talking. Naturally I waited  
until you guys were done before I barged in." Serena  
nodded slowly, it seemed plausible but there was still  
something... off about Mehgan's whole story. "He likes  
you, you know." Mehgan continued slyly, watching  
emotions she couldn't identify flash across Serena's face.  
"It was one conversation, no big deal." Serena  
told her weakly, taking a seat on the queen sized bed.   
Mehgan only giggled in reply, "I have never seen my  
brother look at anyone like he looked at you tonight. I'm  
telling you, there's something there."  
"Mehgan listen, I'm starting to see what this is all  
about. You invited me over here because you think  
something could happen between me and your brother.   
I'm sure he was just being nice tonight because I fell and  
got hurt in your yard." Serena kept her eyes focused on  
her hands. Mehgan didn't need to know that she had  
questioned the nature of Darien's feelings herself when  
she had gotten home. She had sensed something there  
just as Mehgan had, something in this voice, something  
in then way he looked at her. But she refused to get her  
hopes up, she didn't want to build something wonderful  
happening up in her mind and then have it fizzle out into  
nothing.  
"He's helping up with your paintings tomorrow  
Serena, he wants to see you again! I'm an expert in  
matters of the heart, trust me about this one." Mehgan  
plopped down on the bed next to Serena and placed an  
arm around her shoulder. "I'll leave this whole mess  
alone for the rest of the night okay? I can tell it's  
upsetting you. I'm going to run downstairs to the kitchen  
and make some popcorn and then we can watch some  
movies." Serena nodded and reached for her duffel bag,  
"Where can I change into my PJs?"  
Mehgan bounced up and opened the bedroom  
door, "There's a bathroom right down the hall, second  
door on your left." She flashed Serena a toothy grin,  
"Darien's room is right next to it, it's the first door on the  
left. Feel free to pop in and say hello." Serena rolled her  
eyes at the other girl's antics and started to dig through  
her bag for her bunny pajamas. She listened as Mehgan  
bounded down the stairs and disappeared into the  
kitchen.  
She had to shake her head at her new friend, she  
was a ball of energy, waiting to explode. Serena  
wondered if Mehgan really wanted to be her friend or if  
she just wanted to set her up with her brother... Suddenly  
the sound of another door opening up down the hall  
startled her back to reality. She watched as Darien   
walked toward Mehgan's doorway, still half asleep.  
"Mehg, could you please keep it down, some of us  
are trying to slee-" he stopped as he finally recognized  
the girl sitting on the floor of his sister's bedroom as  
Serena. "Serena, what are you doing here again?"  
The blond looked very nervous all of a sudden,  
"Umm... Your sister called me not long after I left and  
asked me if I wanted to spend the night..." She stood up,  
PJs in hand, ready to excuse herself to go to the  
bathroom.  
"Where did she get your phone number?" He  
smacked his head as he realized he had left it sitting on  
the kitchen table, "Never mind, I think I know. I left it  
sitting out in the open and Mehg loves to get involved in  
other people's business. It's like a hobby of hers."  
Serena smiled at the obvious affection in his  
voice, despite his words it was clear that he loved his  
little sister dearly. And that she could push his buttons  
like no one else ever could.  
"I'm sorry to intrude again, I was surprised when  
she called me. I'm not quite sure why I even accepted  
the invitation in the first place." She desperately wanted  
to get away from him, she could see the bathroom over  
his shoulder, beckoning to her...  
"Yes well, it's nice to see you again. Maybe if  
you two become friends you'll be hanging out over more  
often."   
"Yep, the world is full of possibilities." she told  
him blithely, effectively covering her insecurity about  
being so close to him. Earlier she had been in a daze,  
unsure about what was happening but the haze that had  
clouded her head had dissipated and things were crystal  
clear. Darien Harrison was ten times hotter than she had  
thought he was before.  
"Darien, how nice to see you up and moving!" A  
new voice chimed in, causing Serena to breath a deep  
sigh of relief. Mehgan walked toward the two of them  
with two big bowls of popcorn and three cans of soda. "I  
took a chance and brought extras in case you wanted to  
watch the movie with us Darien." With that, Serena's  
relief morphed into a full on heart attack.  
"I'm just going to go change into my PJs, so I can  
be more comfortable." She zipped out of the room and  
down the hall. Darien watched her retreating back and  
grinned to himself, she really was adorable.  
"You're welcome." Mehg giggled as she set the  
popcorn down on the desk by her bed. "You can make it  
up to me later, by letting me borrow your car."  
Darien spun around, all traces of amusement gone  
from his handsome features, "Look Mehg I told you not  
to mess around with my personal life. This whole Serena  
thing is my business and I would appreciate it if you  
would just butt out."  
"You're cute when you're angry." she smiled  
coyly at him, goading him further. "She's my friend  
Darien, or at least she's going to be. You don't play a  
role in everything I do. She's a nice girl, and she looks  
like she needs more friends. Can't you see she's lonely?"  
Darien ran a hand through his thick black hair,  
"Yeah, I think you're right. She does look lonely..."  
  
"Get a grip Serena!" she told herself firmly as she  
splashed cold water on her face. "He's no different than  
any other guy." God, that was such a lie... Her mind  
combated that logic with the fact that he was rich, mature  
and completely out of her reach. He wasn't just some  
silly schoolboy, he was in college while she was just  
going to be a junior in high school.  
She studied her reflection in the mirror, trying to  
find what he might think was so special about her.   
Mehgan thought he was interested in her for some reason  
or another, but everything she saw was completely  
ordinary.  
"Just forget it, you're dreaming if you ever think  
anything will happen between you two. Even if Mehg is  
right, it's useless to believe that he would date a measly  
16 year old." With that said, Serena jerked open the door  
and walked back down the hallway to Mehg's room, her  
heart guarded with extreme care.  
  
They spent the rest of the night watching movies  
and gossiping about the few people they both knew.   
Darien watched silently as Serena and his sister bonded  
almost immediately over a bowl of popcorn and the  
movie Sixteen Candles. He was unsure of how Mehg did  
it, how she could just open up to people the way she did.   
The effect she had on most of them was startling, she  
could make even the sternest man crack a smile.  
He soaked up the information Serena provided  
about herself, the fact that she lived alone with her  
mother in a tiny apartment, that she loved to paint (which  
he already knew), that spring was her favorite season (not  
because of the flowers that bloomed but because of how  
the air smelled after a rainstorm) She was a treasure, a  
gem untarnished by high society, and he found himself  
wanting to keep her that way. What would have been a  
depressing night, as he contemplated what went wrong  
with his failed relationship with Rachael, had turned into  
a charming surprise.  
Around three in the morning the trio split up to  
get some well deserved sleep. Darien crept back to his  
own bedroom and the two girls laid awake for another  
hour chatting about nonsense. Finally Mehg dosed off  
midsentence and Serena snuggled into her sleeping bag, a  
smile playing across her lips as she too drifted off into  
dreamland.  
  
"Wakey Wakey Princesses!" the voice cut straight  
through the sleep that held Serena tightly in its grasp.   
She pulled a pillow over her head to block out the noise,  
while mumbling a slurred, "Go away."  
"Darien, do you have any idea what freakin' time  
it is!" Mehg grumbled from her bed above her.   
"It's around nine, mom wants you awake and  
downstairs in five minutes. She made breakfast." The  
words hung in the air until Mehg finally realized what her  
brother had just said. "Our mother cooked?"  
"She did, she made pancakes."   
Mehg let out a huge groan, "There is no God."   
Serena pulled the pillow off her head and turned  
her bleary eyes up to look at Darien, "Why is it so bad  
that your mother made breakfast?" Darien let out a deep  
chuckle as he watched the blond haired girl struggle to  
stay awake, "She's not much of a cook."  
Mehg slowly sat up, shaking the last dregs of  
sleep from her body, "One time she made chili, it tasted  
like dog food." Serena made a face, she usually ate  
anything placed in front of her but dog food... "Come on  
Serena, let's go attempt to eat." Mehgan dragged the  
blond to her feet and started pushing her out of the room  
and down the stairs  
"After breakfast, I'll help you set up those  
paintings at the college." Darien added as the Serena  
finally seemed to be awake enough to comprehend what  
he was saying.  
"I completely forgot all about that." Serena  
mumbled, "Everything is still out in my car." The three  
entered the kitchen and were greeted by smell of burning  
pancake batter...  
  
Serena choked down a couple of runny pancakes,  
while Mehgan and Darien just avoided them all together.   
She washed up and changed into jean shorts and a  
T-shirt. Darien was waiting outside by the car when she  
came outside.  
He opened the car door for her without saying a  
word and she flashed him a quick smile for his courtesy.   
The two were on their way not five minutes later, having  
an idle conversation about nothing in particular. Serena  
found herself becoming more and more relaxed in his  
presence and enjoyed his company. Darien made it no  
secret that he enjoyed hers.  
"So how long have you been interested in  
painting?" he gazed at her lazily, immersing himself in  
the details of her face. Her face was lovely with delicate  
cheekbones, a pert little nose and big azure eyes framed  
by long sooty lashes. She could have easily been a  
model, but he doubted she had the type of personality to  
make it in such a harsh career.  
She grinned in spite of herself, "There's a picture  
that my mother has framed on the bookcase in our living  
room of me holding a paintbrush standing next to an  
easel. I was probably about five when the picture was  
taken. I've always been an artist for as long as I can  
remember, it's part of who I am."  
"I wish I had something like that to cling to, I've  
always been to busy to paint or write or do anything  
artistic. I was trained in the ways of business so I can  
take over my father's company in few years." he tried  
hard to keep the bitterness out of his voice, if any  
managed to sneak through, Serena didn't pick up on it.  
"How wonderful, I'm sure you're looking forward  
to following in your father's footsteps." a snort of  
laughter was her reply, "Did I say something funny?"   
"Everyone always just assumes that I'm willing  
and eager to take over my father's career. I wasn't given  
a choice in the matter, when I was little all my friends  
wanted to be firefighters or rock stars. I was going to be  
a corporate slavedriver, no ifs ands or buts about it." his  
eyes turned cold, Serena could sense him pulling away  
from her. Drawing back into that ball she had always  
seen him tucked inside, unwilling to open up.  
"That must have been terrible for you, no child  
should have to go through something like that." she told  
him weakly, praying to return the atmosphere to how it  
was just moments before.  
Darien could sense that she was suddenly  
nervous, he cursed himself silently. He scared people  
away, it was just his nature. No one ever bothered to  
stick around long enough to brave it out. Somehow  
though, he knew that Serena was different than everyone  
else.  
They pulled into the college parking lot and into a  
space close to the exhibition hall doors. There were  
already close to thirty students milling around and  
hauling paintings inside. Serena got out of the car and  
walked around to the trunk, feeling Darien's cool blue  
eyes on her the entire time.  
"Umm, the one on top is the heaviest." she told  
him as she opened the trunk. He reached for it, carefully  
pulling it forward. The colors caught his eye and he  
leaned forward to get a better look. The canvas was a  
swirl of reds, oranges and deep purples representing a  
sunset. Two perfect moons were rising in the sky as the  
sun sunk below the horizon.  
"Serena, this is absolutely beautiful. I never  
imagined that you had such talent." she beamed under his  
praise, "Thanks Darien, this is my main piece, I'm hoping  
to win first place in the fantasy category."  
"I don't think any other painting stands a chance."  
he told her sincerely, watching a becoming blush spread  
across her cheeks. "I hope you're right..."  
He picked up the heavy piece of artwork and  
Serena lead him inside the hall. She was given one of the  
rooms near the back to display her work. White  
temporary walls surrounded the tiny space, ready and  
waiting to adorned with artwork.  
She studied the space for a moment, "Let's put  
that one there." she pointed to a spot near the entrance,  
where the painting could be spotted from the doorway.   
Darien hung it up carefully and they stepped back to  
make sure it looked all right.  
After an hour and a half everything was set up and  
in Darien's humble opinion Serena's work was the best  
there. For being only sixteen she captured light and color  
like a master and her imagery was spectacular.  
"When is the art show?" Darien asked as he  
opened the car door for her to get in.  
She paused for a moment, "Saturday night. It's a  
major event for the college, there's a raffle and a bunch  
of other fundraising events taking place that evening as  
well. It's almost a black tie event."  
"Do you have a date?" the question caught Serena  
so off guard that she dropped her keys under her seat.   
"Umm..." she kept her eyes focused on him as she felt  
around the carpet for them. "No, no I don't."  
A smile lit up Darien's face as he snatched  
Serena's small hand in his own, "Would you allow me  
the honor of accompanying you"  
"You really want to go to a college art show with  
me?" her voice sounded strange to her ears, it was soft  
and melodious, so unlike the way she usually was. Dear  
God, she was flirting! Well sort of... Her heart was  
screaming not to let this be a joke, for him not to  
suddenly drop her hand and shout "hell no!" in her face.  
"It would be my great pleasure to have the most  
beautiful artist in the world on my arm, if she would  
grace me with her presence." he placed a feather soft kiss  
on her hand and she felt her insides turn to mush.  
"Pick me up at 7:30?" she asked hopefully,  
watching with extreme delight as his eyes seemed to light  
up with happiness of their own.  
"I'll be five minutes early." he quickly found her  
keys and handed them to her. She started the car and  
backed out of the parking lot.  
  
~To Be Continued...~  
  
Okay, please please please send me feedback :) I  
really want to know what everyone thinks about this fic.   
In case you didn't catch it earlier, the address is:  
  
liz221@ameritech.net  
  
Write me! Write me! Write me! Write me!  
  
Liz-chan 


	4. A Night of Magic

Sweet Surrender  
Part 4/?  
By Elisabeth James  
liz221@ameritech.net  
  
Okay here's chapter four, I've gotten such great feedback  
on the other chapters I hope that everyone will continue to mail  
me after this one :)  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon  
  
This is an AU (Alternate Reality) fic, I use dub names in  
this but it is NOT a dub fic by any means.  
  
  
~* Chapter 4- A Night of Magic *~  
  
"Mehg, what am I going to do! The art show is  
tomorrow night and I have absolutely nothing to wear!"  
Serena flopped back onto the bed in Mehgan's gigantic  
room.   
"Oh quit whining, we'll find you something.   
Let's look in my closet, maybe I have something that  
might work." she pulled open the doors to the large walk  
in closet that took up one wall of the room. "How fancy  
is this?"  
"The college likes to make a big deal out of it, it's  
pretty formal." Mehg nodded and disappeared into the  
depths of her closet. Serena sat up and watched as  
articles of clothing starting flying toward her.  
"Homecoming formal or prom formal?" Mehg  
snapped back. Serena paused, "Probably somewhere in  
between."   
"I have five really fancy dress, three semi-fancy  
ones, six more casual ones. Take your pick." Serena  
waded carefully through the pile of dress scattered  
amongst the floor. There was a sea of pinks and purples,  
reds and oranges, blacks and blues at her feet.  
She reached down and picked up a pale pink  
gown. It was strapless and fitted, until it flared out at the  
waist, tumbling to the ground in a waterfall of silk and  
tulle. "It's beautiful."  
Mehg took a quick look at the dress in Serena's  
hands, "It's perfect, try it on." She shooed Serena out  
into the hall and into the bathroom. "You better let me  
see how it looks." Serena nodded and shut the door.  
  
"What are you doing just standing around in the  
hallway Mehg?" Darien asked five minutes later, as he  
walked out of his bedroom.  
"I'm waiting for Serena to finish trying on a dress  
so she can show me how wonderful she looks in it!" she  
raised her voice so Serena would get the hint to hurry up.   
Loud grumbling was her only reply. "Will you hold on  
Mehg, patience is a virtue."  
Darien leaned against the wall next to Mehg,  
waiting for Serena to come out as well. She looked great  
in jeans and a T-shirt, he couldn't begin to picture her in  
a dress.  
"Darien, go away." his sister told him flatly,  
pushing him away. "If this is the gown she chooses, it  
must be a surprise." Darien rolled his eyes at such an old  
fashioned idea. He was about to tell Mehgan no but the  
look on her face changed his mind in an instant.  
"All right, all right, I'm going. But I'm not happy  
about it." he turned away and started down the stairs.   
Not five seconds after, the bathroom door opened  
revealing a blushing Serena.  
She tugged at the dress, trying to keep it from  
falling down, "It's a little big." she told Mehgan, who  
was grinning madly at the sight Serena made.  
"We'll have it taken it, the maid can do it tonight  
before she goes home." Mehgan told her quickly,  
"Although aren't artist supposed to wear black?" Serena  
shook her head, "I never wear black, it's so dark and  
depressing. It's not me at all."   
"Well Serena I think this is you. Get changed and  
I'll take the dress down to Hilda and she'll have it all  
fixed up by tomorrow." Mehg started to walk away,  
"And then we can go shoe shopping."  
Serena nodded and shut the door again. Mehg  
smiled to herself, knowing that tomorrow night was going  
to be pure magic.  
  
Darien was sitting at the kitchen table, reading the  
paper when the two girls came bounding down the stairs  
at a breakneck pace. "Where's the fire?" he glanced up  
at them as Mehg paused quickly at the fridge to get a  
soda.  
"We're going shoe shopping for tomorrow night."  
she told Darien from inside the refrigerator. "Serena do  
you need a purse?"  
"Yeah, I don't have anything to match the dress,  
but Mehg I don't have a lot of money to spend on silly  
stuff like this." She traced the tiles of the kitchen floor  
with her shoe. There had been times when she had felt  
uncomfortable because of her financial status when she  
hung out with Mehg but this had to be the worst.   
A silence hung over the kitchen as Mehg  
considered what to do. Her mother had always been a  
firm believer that money was no good unless you did  
something good with it. Through her own twisted logic,  
this made sense to Mehgan, "It's cool, I'll take care of  
everything for you. The purse, the shoes, a nice wrap.   
You'll be the belle of the art show."  
Serena looked up at her friend, trying to figure out  
exactly what was going on. "Mehg, that's a very nice  
offer but it's totally not necessary. It's just one evening."  
She could feel Darien's cool gaze on her back but she  
refused to turn around. "I just don't like accepting  
handouts, I like to work for the things I receive."  
Mehg's mouth fell open a little as she tried to  
keep her emotions hidden, "Well... I have a wrap you can  
borrow and some shoes. They should fit you. But I'm  
afraid I don't have a purse to match."  
Serena grinned, "I can swing enough money for a  
new purse, do you still want to go shopping with me?"  
Mehg nodded and the two girl raced outside to Mehg's  
BMW convertible. Darien watched them back out of the  
driveway, a smile on his face. It was amazing how  
unaffected Serena was by his world, anyone else would  
have accepted Mehgan's offer in a second. But Serena  
didn't want to take advantage of her friend. Suddenly he  
couldn't wait for tomorrow night.  
  
"Mom, I'm leaving now!" Serena called into the  
kitchen as she was dashing out the front door. Mrs.  
Bancroft glanced at the clock above the stove and peaked  
her head around the corner, "I thought the art show didn't  
start until 8:00?"  
Serena smiled and tried to be patient, "Mehg is  
helping me get ready, she says I need to look spectacular  
for tonight." Her mother stepped out of the kitchen and  
walked over to her.  
"Serena..." she paused to collect her rambling  
thoughts, "I'm worried about you spending so much time  
over at the Harrisons. I know Mehg is your friend and  
I'm happy that you finally have started to open up to  
people. But I overheard you talking to her over the phone  
last night, and I know you like Darien, honey."  
Serena paled, she hadn't told anyone what she felt  
for Darien. Mehg knew out of instinct and had given up  
really bugging her about after the sleepover. "Mom, he's  
just a friend."  
"Serena, just hear me out. It's okay that you like  
him, I know how sometimes feelings can just come out of  
the blue but don't get too attached. Men like him are  
made to break a girl's heart, so guard yours closely  
okay?"  
Serena planted a quick kiss on her mother's pale  
cheek, "I will, I'll be very careful. I'm going to go okay,  
I'll see you at the art show at 8:00 all right?" Mrs.  
Bancroft nodded and her daughter flew out the front door  
and down the driveway to her car.  
"Too bad he's already stolen it..." she whispered  
to herself. The older woman padded back to her  
bedroom, she too needed to get ready.  
  
"OUCH!" Mehg quickly stuck her thumb into her  
mouth, "Stupid curling iron." she mumbled under her  
breath as she wrapped another long strand of hair around  
the hot metal.  
Serena rolled her eyes at her friend, Mehg seemed  
to be more nervous than her about tonight. Serena  
appeared calm and collected on the outside, almost cold  
in demeanor. But on the inside her stomach was  
cramping up and she felt like she was going to be sick.  
"Aren't you at all excited Serena? This is the big  
night, it's just you and Darien." Mehg playfully teased  
her friend, she saw right through that disguise of  
nonchalance.  
"I'm going to be sick Mehg, what am I doing? I  
can't show up there with your brother as my date!" she  
buried her face in her hands, pulling Mehg and the  
curling iron along with her.  
Mehg gently pulled on Serena's hair causing her  
to look up, "Don't do that again! You'll mess up your  
makeup!" she softened her tone as she curled another  
piece of Serena's hair, "Why can't you show up with my  
brother?"  
Serena drew in a deep breath trying to calm down,  
"I'm a nobody Mehg, and well, Darien's a somebody. No  
one is going to understand why he's there with me, I  
don't understand why he's going to be there with me."  
"Haven't we gone over this already, he's going  
with you because he likes you Serena. And no one else  
needs to understand anything. It's none of their business  
why he's there with you. Sure they'll be speculation  
because people like to gossip. You can't stop people  
from talking but Darien won't let anything bad be said  
about you. So just enjoy tonight, forget everyone else but  
him and you. He wouldn't be going with you unless he  
wanted to, I know my brother, he doesn't do stuff like  
this for everyone." she picked up a bottle of hairspray  
and doused Serena's hair with it. "There all done."  
Serena stood up slowly and walked over to  
Mehgan's full length mirror, the sight that greeted her  
almost took her breath away. She looked like a princess,  
the pink gown now fit her to perfection swirling to the  
ground at her feet almost covering up the silver  
sandal-style shoes that adorned her feet. A small silver  
handbag and wrap completed the ensemble and  
twinkling diamond earrings winked at her from her ears.   
"You are going to knock them dead Sere, no one  
is going to be looking at those paintings tonight." Mehg  
stood behind Serena, admiring her handiwork.  
"Thank you so much, I never could have pulled  
this off without you." Tears welled up in her eyes as she  
finally realized that she for once in her life had a true  
friend.  
"Oh don't cry! Your mascara will run." she  
hugged her shaking friend quickly before darting toward  
the door, "I'm going to see if Darien is ready." with that  
she ran downstairs.  
Serena nodded and turned back to her reflection,  
"I can do this, I can do this..." she chanted the mantra  
over and over again under her breath. She closed her  
eyes and took a couple of deep breaths, feeling the  
butterflies in her stomach start to calm down. The  
feeling of anticipation washed over her, taking the place  
of the nervousness.  
"Serena, get your cute butt down here. Everyone  
is waiting!" Mehg's teasing voice floated up the stairwell  
and Serena cast one last look at herself in the mirror. It  
was now or never. She walked out of the room and  
paused at the top of the staircase, she could see Darien  
standing below her in his black tuxedo. He looked  
stunning as the soft black fabric hugged his body, his  
shaggy black hair falling softly in his face, into his  
beautiful blue eyes. Mehg saw her hesitation and  
motioned silently for her to get a move on.  
She started down the stairs, her heels clicking  
softly on the hard wood beneath her feet. Darien turned  
to look at her and felt his breath catch in his throat. She  
was a vision, an angel and for the evening, she was his.   
Her smile started to waver as her eyes caught his and he  
felt a bolt of electricity shoot through his body. "You  
look... incredible." he finally managed to finish. A soft  
blush graced her cheeks as he took her hand in his and  
kissed it gently.  
"Well you two don't be out too late, have fun and  
drive safe!" Mehg chirped, pushing the couple toward the  
door. Darien grinned at his little sister, he was in too  
good of a mood to mind her meddling tonight.   
"Bye Mehg." Serena gave her best friend one last  
hug before being swept outside by Darien's strong arm.  
"Call me, no matter what time you get home, I  
want details Serena! I mean it!" Mehg could hear her  
friend giggling at her as she and Darien walked out to his  
black Porche Boxer. "Don't break her heart Darien, or I  
swear to God I'll rip out yours..." she whispered before  
she closed the kitchen door and went back upstairs.  
  
Darien offered her a hand to help her out of the  
car. Serena accepted it gratefully, hoping that he  
wouldn't notice how badly she was shaking. She  
carefully brushed off her dress, praying that she still  
looked as good as she had back at the house.   
"Try and calm down Serena. You're going to  
win." Darien told her with a reassuring smile, taking her  
arm in his. She instantly sought comfort in his warmth,  
enjoying the feeling of having him close to her.  
"That's not what I'm worried about..." she said  
under her breath. He didn't seem to hear her as he lead  
her into the exhibition hall.   
Serena wasn't oblivious to the stares and gasps  
that surrounded her and Darien where ever they went.   
Everyone knew who Darien was. They wandered around  
the hall, looking at the other works of art. Each one  
Darien compared to Serena's, and each one failed to  
measure up. He didn't notice that the grip Serena had  
around his arm was getting tighter and tighter each room  
they entered.  
Finally they reached her own tiny room and  
Serena pulled away from him in awe, she had never truly  
seen her work displayed for a real show before. It was  
one thing to see it just hanging up, but tonight the  
atmosphere was different, and seeing her work hanging  
up on display sent shivers up her spine. Darien watched  
her as she walked to each of her paintings, as if seeing  
them through new eyes.  
"They're all wonderful Serena, you have so much  
talent." he told her quietly, she turned around and smiled  
warmly at him.  
"I've never seen my work displayed like this, it's  
never been entered in a real show. I guess I'm just  
shocked that I'm finally a real artist."  
"What time do they announce the awards at?" he  
asked her, placing his arm around her waist. He liked  
touching her, feeling her body next to his. She was his  
for tonight and he intended to make the most of it.  
"Around 9:30 or so, after everyone has gotten the  
chance to look around and see everyone's work." she  
slowly moved closer to him, loving everything about  
being his date; from the way he held her, to how he  
smelled.  
"Why Serena, I didn't expect to see you here! I  
didn't even know you were entering any of your work!" a  
shrill voice cut through their quiet moment and Serena  
spun around to see who had entered the room.  
Roz Piekarz stood in the doorway, smiling coolly  
at Serena. "Hello Roz, I didn't expect to find you here  
either." Serena pushed down the feelings of dislike that  
rose in her the second she saw the curly haired blond girl.   
She sat next to Roz in her summer art class and while she  
had been outright mean to Serena, there was a mocking   
undertone in her voice when she spoke that made Serena feel  
terrible.   
"Well the night's just full of surprises, isn't it?   
Who's your date?" finally taking notice of the dark haired  
gentleman standing next to Serena.  
"This is Darien, Roz. Darien, this is Roz, she sits  
next to me in art class." Serena told him through a tight  
lipped smile.   
Darien could sense Serena discomfort at the  
situation, he couldn't help but notice the way Roz was  
staring at him too. The arm around her waist tightened,  
"It's a pleasure to meet you." he said cordially before  
sweeping Serena out of the room without another word  
being uttered.  
The blond haired girl relaxed immediately at his  
side, leaning against him. "Thank you." she told him  
softly, gratitude sparkling in her eyes.   
"No problem, as your date I'm expected to rescue  
you from annoying people you can't stand." she giggled  
at his remark, wondering how she could have ever felt so  
nervous before.  
Time flew by after that, the two to them  
wandering around, commenting on other paintings and  
enjoying one another's company.  
"Attention everyone, it's time for the winners of  
the 6th annual NIU art show to be announced." the main  
room suddenly quieted down, anticipation crackling  
through the air. Serena grabbed Darien's hand in her  
own, grasping it tightly as she silently prayed that some  
honor might be bestowed upon her.  
The list of awards was long and took about half  
an hour to reach the fantasy category. Serena's heart  
sped up as the man up front spoke, "This was a very  
tough category to decide on a winner for. We had two  
extremely talented artists both enter paintings, but  
unfortunately only one of them could be the recipient of  
the award for best fantasy piece. That honor goes to...   
Roz Piekarz!" applause thundered inside the room as Roz  
stepped forward to accept the ribbon and certificate. Her  
smile was a mile wide as she pushed back Serena to get  
to the room that displayed her work. "Better be careful  
dear, or I might steal something else right out from under  
you." Roz cast a quick glance at Darien's stormy face  
before making an exit, surrounded by her friends.  
Serena could feel the tears well up in her eyes,  
threatening to spill over onto her cheeks. It wasn't the  
fact that she lost, that didn't bother her, it was the fact  
that Roz was such a mean hateful person. And that she  
was right, Serena didn't deserve Darien, she could never  
click with him the way someone like Roz did. She was  
rich, beautiful and popular, Serena was none of those  
things in her eyes.  
"Can we please go Darien?" she asked him  
weakly, he nodded silently and they made their way  
through the crowd to the doors.  
The cool night air felt good on Serena's  
over-heated skin, the tears in her eyes retreated. "Are  
you okay Serena?" Darien broke the tense silence as he  
unlocked the car door on the passenger side.  
"I'll live."  
"That's not what I asked, I asked if you were  
okay." Serena shook her head, "No I'm not. I'm angry  
and upset." Darien's warm arms wrapped around almost  
immediately, pulling her tight to his body. "She did it on  
purpose, she knew I had entered the category first, she  
did it to spite me. And she won!"  
"She didn't deserve it Serena, her work wasn't  
half as good as yours." he rested his chin gently on the  
top of her head, inhaling the sweet scent of her hair.  
"But I don't have a father that's the head of the  
awards committee, so I lost." she told him, her words  
muffled against his hard chest.  
"It's wrong to win that way, in her heart she  
knows that what she did wasn't honest. The sad thing is  
she just doesn't care." Serena loosened her grip around  
him and slowly started to pull away but Darien held tight,  
"You know what else she was wrong about as well?"  
"What?" she was almost scared by his sudden  
intensity, the way his eyes seemed to see into her soul  
frightened her but calmed her at the same time.  
"She could never steal me from you." shock  
flashed across her face as he relinquished his grip and  
opened the car door for her.  
"Your not mine to begin with." she said softly as  
she climbed into the Boxer. He knelt down to her level,  
"I could be, if you want me."   
She could have cried right there, she had known,  
but there was nothing like absolute confirmation and  
hearing it from him. "I'm not sure what I want right now  
Darien." she uttered shakily.  
He sighed and stood up. He walked around the  
other side of the car and got in, "Well then I'll wait until  
you find out." he leaned over, running his fingers through  
her long curls, mesmerized by her face. She closed her  
eyes, wishing that he would kiss her right now,  
wondering how his lips would feel if they brushed against  
hers ever so gently. "Do you know now?" he asked softly.   
She giggled at his persistence, she was swept away by his  
charm and the way he looked at her: like she was the last  
girl on earth.  
"I'll let you know." he pulled away then, not in  
anger but out of respect. The engine churned to life and  
he put it in gear. She stared out at the window at the  
trees flying by, knowing in her soul that she had already  
given Darien full control of her heart. She should have  
said yes, but something was holding her back. She didn't  
fully trust him yet, she couldn't stand to be hurt again.  
  
~To Be Continued...~  
  
A special thanks to: Mehg for her encouragement,  
she's the one who's making me write this thing and for  
bestowing me with the honor of being the SMRFF Fic  
Goddess. Luv ya girlie! Mere-chan my very pregnant  
editor for all of her hard work, she really helps make my  
fics better! And Clare for her support and for getting me  
back into FFVII, I forgot how much I love that game!   
Sephiroth is YUMMY!  
  
E-mail me! E-mail me! E-mail me!  
liz221@ameritech.net  
  
Liz-chan  
  



	5. Giving In

Sweet Surrender  
Part 5/?  
By Elisabeth James  
liz221@ameritech.net  
  
Well I realize that this took me a long time to get  
out but there's been a lot of stuff going on in my life that  
has kept me from me from writing. I do plan on working  
on this a lot more now that I have time. Please send  
feedback on this! Any e-mail is very appreciated!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Sailormoon, BUT Mehg  
is my own creation. So don't use her without my  
permission!  
  
  
~*Chapter Five- Giving In*~  
  
Shadows danced across the ceiling and walls of  
Serena's darkened room. The waxing moon hung low in  
the sky. The world was asleep, awaiting the first rays of  
the morning sun to show themselves over the horizon.  
Serena turned over in her bed again, unable to  
succumb to slumber. Her mind was racing, filled with  
thoughts of the scene that had happened in the parking lot  
hours ago. He had been ready to pledge himself to her.   
He wanted to be with her. The thought sent shivers of  
pleasure up her spine. Who would have thought that  
Darien Harrison could have fallen for the gardener's  
daughter?  
She certainly hadn't and she was having problems  
coming to grips with that fact. She had pushed him  
away, unwilling and unable to take the next step. No  
matter how great Darien was, underneath that exterior of  
kindness he was still male.   
And she didn't trust men.  
She let out a deep sigh and listened as a car drove  
past the apartment building. Her nerves were frazzled  
and she was sick of thinking. She buried her face in her  
pillow hoping for sleep or suffocation, which ever came  
first.  
  
"Did you sleep well?" Mrs. Bancroft watched her  
sleepy-eyed daughter stumble across the kitchen and  
collapse into a chair.  
"Not really..." Serena mumbled in reply, looking  
down at the plate in front of her. Her mother had made  
her breakfast but the thought of food made her feel sick  
to her stomach. "Mom I'm sorry but I'm not really  
hungry this morning."  
Mrs. Bancroft nodded, "Did you have something  
on your mind last night? You only have trouble sleeping  
when something is bothering you." she pulled out a chair  
and joined her daughter at the table.  
Serena took a sip of her juice, the only thing she  
didn't think would make her ill, "I was just thinking  
about Roz and how her stupid painting won."  
"Ahh, I thought it might have been about that  
little scene I witnessed last night in the parking lot  
between you and Darien." the glass slipped from Serena's  
hand and tumbled to the table.   
Serena jumped up as orange juice spilled into her  
lap, "I'm sorry!" she grabbed a near by dish towel and  
started sopping up the mess.  
Mrs. Bancroft was silent as she watched her  
daughter clean up the table. "All men aren't like your  
father Serena. Some of them don't run away from  
responsibility, I think Darien might be one of them."  
Serena looked up at her mother, puzzlement  
skewed her delicate features, "Last night you told me to  
guard my heart from him."  
"You can't guard your heart from someone who  
already holds it. I know you feel something for him  
Serena and there's nothing wrong with that. Love  
involves taking risks, sometimes they pay off." she  
sighed, "And sometimes they don't. The point is that if  
you don't take a risk and trust him, you'll never know  
what might have been."  
The words sunk in as Serena soaked up the last  
juice puddle from the table. "Do you have more planting  
to do over there today?"  
Her mother nodded slowly, "Do you feel like  
helping me out?"  
"Yeah just let me get dressed." Serena tossed the  
wet rag into the laundry basket and ran up stairs to get  
ready.  
  
Serena shoved another plant mercilessly into the  
flower bed. Sweat beaded along her hairline as the sun  
beat down on her and her mother. She had come here in  
hopes of seeing and speaking to Darien, but hadn't seen  
him since she first arrived at the house. He had given her  
a quick wave and then disappeared back into the  
mansion.  
Tears welled up in her eyes at the thought of him  
deliberately ignoring her. Maybe after last night his  
feelings had changed because he thought she didn't feel  
the same way. Maybe he didn't want to wait for her to  
grow up and stop acting like a small child. What ifs  
filled her head, choking her common sense.  
"I need something to drink." she mumbled to her  
mother while rising to her feet. She ran across the yard  
and let herself into the kitchen. She reached into the  
cupboard for a glass when she heard footfalls behind her.  
"Are you feeling alright?" a baritone voice  
interrupted her thoughts and she answered without  
turning around.  
"I'm fine Darien." her voice was flat as she  
placed the glass under the faucet head and turned on the  
water.  
"Listen about last night..." Darien nervously ran a  
hand through his thick black hair, "I-" Serena cut him off  
as she spun around to finally face him.  
"Don't say it, even if you didn't mean one word  
you said don't tell me that. Just let me keep on  
believing." she told him softly. She could feel the tears  
welling up in her eyes. There was just something about  
how Darien made her feel, so vulnerable, that she  
couldn't contain her emotions around him.  
Darien stared at the blond in front of him for a  
few moment before placing his hands on her shoulders,  
"That's not what I was going to say at all. I was going to  
tell you I meant every word I said in that parking lot. I'll  
wait until you feel ready, I don't want to force you into  
anything." Serena's eyes met his, a mixture of emotions  
floating in their depths.  
"I couldn't sleep last night, I couldn't stop  
thinking about you." her hand reached out and gently  
touched his arm. "You make me feel something inside  
that I have never felt before, and it scared me." her eyes  
fell to the floor, avoiding his gaze. "But I can't keep  
running away to avoid getting hurt." the atmosphere in  
the kitchen changed, it was thick with something  
indescribable.   
Darien brought a hand up to her cheek and she  
closed her eyes, surrendering to the rampant feelings  
coursing through her body. Her lips parted slightly,  
begging him to kiss her. She could feel his warm breath  
on her face as he moved closer, his other arms wrapped  
gently around her waist. He was so close, he clouded her  
mind as his lips brushed softly against hers.  
The kitchen door opened, "Serena is everything  
okay?" her mother's voice echoed throughout the gigantic  
kitchen, killing the moment effectively. Darien backed  
away from Serena, giving her room to breath.  
"Everything's fine mom, I just needed to cool off  
for a few minutes." Mrs. Bancroft stepped inside the  
house and spotted Darien next to her daughter.  
"Hello Darien." her mother said in her normal  
soft tone. There was no reprimand in her voice.  
"Hello Mrs. Bancroft, I was just discussing  
something with Serena. She's all yours again." his face  
flushed crimson, and he didn't meet Mrs. Bancroft's  
eyes.  
"It's okay Darien, don't worry about it. Serena, I  
need your help moving that tree across the yard." Serena  
nodded and started toward the door.  
"I need some help taking down my paintings at  
the college today Darien, I would really appreciate your  
help." her voice was carefully neutral and she shot a look  
over her shoulder at him as she walked out the door.  
"I would love to help you Serena, just let me  
know when you're ready to go." a grin lit up his face.   
Serena beamed back and stepped outside.  
  
"What do you mean nothing happened?" Mehg  
exclaimed as she grilled Serena about the night before.   
"He didn't try to kiss you or anything?" Serena held back  
a giggle at the dismayed expression on her best friend's  
face.  
"He was a perfect gentleman Mehg, he was  
wonderful." Mehg threw her arms up in the air, disgusted  
with her older brother for not taking matters into his own  
hands. Did she have to do everything for the two of  
them? She sat down next to Serena on the bed and took  
her friend's dirty hand in hers. Serena had just finished  
working in the garden 15 minutes before Mehg pulled her  
upstairs for a clandestine discussion.  
"You can tell me Serena, I can keep a secret. I  
promise not to tell him you told me about anything!"  
Mehg's eyes shone with anticipation of some big news.  
Serena sighed softly, "In the parking lot..."  
"HA! I knew it! I just knew it! He kissed you!"  
Mehg jumped off the bed and started doing a little dance  
around the room, "I am the queen of matchmakers!"  
Serena laughed at her friend's antics, "He didn't  
kiss me Mehg, we just talked." Mehg stopped in  
mid-skip and turned back to her friend. "What!?"  
"In the parking lot, we just talked. But the things  
he said were more powerful than any kiss. He said he  
would wait for me, that he wanted to be with me. But  
he's not going to rush me into anything." She paused as  
Mehg started grinning, "Then he drove me home."  
"Well obviously you're done with keeping him  
waiting! After that scene in the kitch-" She clasped a  
hand over her mouth and watched Serena turn crimson.  
"You were spying on us again! Mehg, I can't  
believe you!" Serena got off the bed, "I would have told  
you everything sooner or later." she stalked toward the  
door, intent on finding Darien and going to the college.  
"Serena don't be angry, please. I couldn't help  
it." Serena's hand stilled on the doorknob. She turned  
back to the other girl, "Next time please try."  
Mehg nodded miserably and watched Serena  
leave the room.  
She ran into a warm wall as she walked out into  
the hallway. She felt herself started to tumble backwards  
when a pair of warm arms wrapped around her waist.  
"Careful there." Serena looked up, startled to find  
Darien's warm blue eyes looking back into hers.  
"I wasn't expecting you to be right outside the  
door." she told him sheepishly, slowly trying to release  
his arms from her waist.  
"I heard my sister yelling and a lot of pounding. I  
thought something might be wrong, so I came up here to  
check." he tightened his arms around her when he noticed  
she was trying to get loose. A coy smile spread across  
her face when she felt what he was doing.  
"Everything's fine, Mehg was just a little excited  
about something. You know how she can get." Darien  
laughed at Serena's pointed look and dropped his hands  
from her hips. "Are you ready to go?" She asked him  
cautiously.  
"Whenever you are my dear." she blushed a little  
at the endearment and followed him downstairs.  
  
The parking lot was almost vacant when Serena  
and Darien pulled up in her beat up old station wagon.   
The engine sputtered as Serena put the car into park and  
pulled her keys out of the ignition.  
"Serena, that didn't sound good." Darien told her  
as they got out of the car. He gingerly shut the door,  
praying it wouldn't fall off it's hinges. Serena shot him a  
sarcastic look.  
"Really, I thought cars were supposed to sound  
like that. Silly me." she walked around to her trunk and  
unlocked it. The hatchback creaked as she pushed it  
open. She pushed a few things out of the way and Darien  
headed inside to get Serena's paintings down.  
She watched his back as he walked away, lights  
from the parking lot lights illuminated his tall form  
before he disappeared inside the lit up building. She  
lingered by the trunk, waiting for him to reappear with  
her art work.  
Thoughts ran through her mind, telling her to just  
kiss him and get that first awkward moment over with. It  
seemed to Darien forever to act on his feelings, this  
morning in the kitchen had to be a fluke. A shiver  
traveled down her spine at the thought of his lips softly  
brushing against hers like they did earlier.  
She spotted his form coming toward her and she  
held the trunk open for him as he carefully set a few of  
the painting inside. He looked at her as his head came  
back up out of the trunk, "Are you okay?"  
"I'm fine, do you need any help getting the last  
couple paintings?" Darien quickly shook his head, and  
gave her one last look before turning back toward the  
building again.  
Serena drew in a deep breath, cursing herself  
silently for letting herself get taken over by her emotions.   
But something inside wouldn't let her just push what she  
was feeling to the side, something inside her kept telling  
her that whatever she was feeling at this moment was  
important and not to discount it.  
It wasn't until she watched his lean, tall frame  
struggle through the door with the last of her artwork, did  
she realize what she couldn't let her feelings go. It had  
been years since she had felt anything this remotely  
strong. Ever since her father had left a couple of years  
ago, she had forced herself to remain empty, feeling  
nothing stronger than a tepid happiness or slight  
annoyance. Within days he had busted her defenses to  
rubble and left her susceptible to all the emotions she had  
carefully guarded herself against.  
Darien slammed the trunk door as softly as he  
could, trying not to scare Serena, who looked to be deep  
in thought with an indescribable look upon her face. He  
walked over to her and placed his hands gently on her  
shoulders. Her eyes widened in surprise but she didn't  
pull away, "Sorry, I was lost in thought there for a  
moment." she gave him a sheepish grin that was meant to  
deter him from asking questions. He registered the look  
and let his hands fall from her shoulders. He pulled open  
the car door for her and held it open as she got in.  
Serena's hand trembled as she put the key into the  
ignition, she watched full of apprehension as Darien slid  
into the seat next to her. She turned the key and listened  
as the car struggled to start before dying. She turned to  
key again and let her head hit the steering wheel when  
nothing happened. "Crap, crap, CRAP!"  
She could feel the tears well up in her eyes at the  
situations that God kept placing her in, it seemed like the  
cosmos was laughing at her misfortunes. "Serena, it's  
okay. I have my cell phone with me, we can just call for  
a tow truck."   
Serena kept her head against the warm plastic and  
nodded slightly. She could feel the right side of the car  
get lighter as Darien got out. She listened as his voice  
carried through the still air, she kept telling herself to  
keep breathing. With a strength she didn't know she  
possessed she opened her own car door and got out.   
Darien hung up with the towing company and  
turned to her as she walked around the back of the car to  
come to him. "They'll be here in 45 minutes." she  
nodded again and leaned up against the car, only inches  
from him.  
"That's good, because I need to talk to you." she  
was proud that her voice only wavered a little as she drew  
in her breath. "I'm terrified Darien, I'm terrified of  
what's been going on between us these last few days.   
There's all these things going on in my head, everything  
that seemed so right only a week ago is now completely  
mixed up. You're like a tidal wave and I'm the poor soul  
who's drowning in your wake." She glanced up at his  
face, his expression blank as he waited for her to  
continue.  
"I've lived the last few years in a coma of  
emotional detachment. When my father walked on my  
mom four years ago, I watched her fall to pieces. She  
tired so hard to hide it from me but I could always hear  
her crying herself to sleep in the next room. She stopped  
eating, stopped sleeping, stopped talking to all of her  
friends. After all the things I watched her face, I made a  
promise to myself never to fall in love. I promised never  
to let anyone get so close to me that they could hurt me  
like that.  
"Up until now, I've been successful. And I've  
semi- happy living in my state of nothing. I'm not going  
to lie to you and say that I like these new emotions but  
even as everything seems to be crashing down around me  
underneath all the feelings of fear, doubt and  
apprehension, there's this yearning. This yearning to just  
give in to you and everything you make me feel. Because  
I'm almost positive that I'm falling in love with you."  
She watched his eyes darken and he stepped in  
front of her, his arms snaked around her waist pulling her  
against his hard chest, "You're only 'almost positive' that  
you're falling in love with me?" he teased softly, his  
warm breath tickling her ear.  
She smiled at him, "Well, I've never been in love  
before. This is an entirely new feeling that I'm dealing  
with. I don't want to get your hopes up, only to have this  
thing turn out to be a meaningless fling on my part."  
Darien let out a soft chuckle and lowered his lips  
only inches from hers, "Well Serena Bancroft, I AM  
positive that I'm falling in love with you and if this is a  
'meaningless fling' I will have to try to convince you  
with my powers of persuasion that this is the real deal."  
His lips seized hers with an urgent hunger, but his touch  
was gentle. She slowly started to respond to his electric  
touch, parting her lips so that he could taste her deeper.   
Her hands slid up his chest and wrapped around his  
sinewy shoulders.  
Somewhere in the back to Serena's mind a small  
warning light was blinking in silent alarm. But Darien's  
scorching kisses were shutting down the power supply to  
her brain and short-circuiting her senses. All tension left  
her body as she leaned to him, returning his passion with  
her own.  
After all, she was almost in love. What did she  
have to lose?  
  
~* To be continued... *~  
  
All done for this chapter!  
  
A special thanks to:  
Mehg for her continued "support" of me and my  
writing attempts, she's the only reason this is finished  
because I kept telling her that I would get it done and  
never would.  
  
Until next time!  
Liz 


	6. That Fading Magic

Sweet Surrender  
Chapter 6/?  
By Elisabeth James  
liz221@ameritech.net  
  
Ahh yes! Your eyes are not deceiving you, this is  
another chapter of Sweet Surrender in your mailbox!   
This is in honor of EMSiT Day, I actually started this fic  
LAST year on EMSiT Day. This just goes to show how  
long it takes me to get my act together and write!  
  
I know a lot of people were happy to see Serena  
and Darien finally hook up. Well... you'll have to read to  
see what happens in this chapter. I recently went to see  
the musical Les Miserables and let's just say that  
listening to the song "On My Own" twenty million times  
has put me in a less than stellar place.   
  
Disclaimer: SM isn't mine  
  
  
~* Chapter 6- That Fading Magic *~  
  
Serena buried her face deeper into the crook of  
Darien's neck. The spicy scent of his cologne teased her  
nostrils and she let out a sigh of contentment.  
"You're so warm..." She whispered, wanting to  
stay in his embrace forever. The world didn't seem so  
ugly when she was in his arms, everything just seemed to  
melt away.  
Darien's arm wrapped tighter around her slim  
waist, drawing her ever closer to him. A movie blared in  
the background on Darien's TV but neither of them were  
really paying attention.  
"I don't ever want to get up." Serena told him,  
closing her eyes and listening to the rhythm of Darien's  
calm breathing.  
"I don't think I want to let you get up. Let's just  
stay here for the rest of eternity." she giggled softly and  
felt his lips gently start to tease hers.  
"Whoa! What's going on in here?" Mehg's voice  
cut through air like a knife and Serena quickly pulled out  
of Darien's embrace and moved to the end of the bed.  
"Mehg, wonderful timing. As always." Darien  
grumbled as stood up. Mehg laughed as he attempted to  
smooth some of the wrinkles out of his shirt.  
"Well I do try, after all I have no life of my own.   
I have to use yours once and awhile for entertainment  
purposes." Serena smiled at her friend's sarcasm, "I  
actually just came up here to tell you Darien that father  
just got home."  
Immediately Darien's expression turned stormy  
and his eyes turned cold, "I thought he wasn't due home  
until the end of the month."  
Mehg's expression also turned solemn, "He  
finished his work in London early. He's waiting for you  
downstairs, he said he needed to talk to you about the  
future." Darien nodded and started to leave the room,  
"Darien, you might want to put on a different shirt." he  
scowled at his sister and gently pushed her out of the  
room.  
"Serena, do you think-"   
Serena cut him off, "Say no more, I'm going. I'll  
be in Mehg's room waiting for you to return." she kissed  
him quickly and left the room. Darien closed the door  
behind her. He sat down on his bed, his head in his  
hands.   
His father was home, after six months of freedom.   
And he wanted to pick up right where he had left off  
before he left, talking about Darien taking control of his  
company in the near future. He wasn't equipped to deal  
with this right now, he didn't want to mess up the happy  
state of his life. Everything was so perfect with Serena  
and now his life was going to fall to pieces again.  
Knowing he couldn't put off the confrontation, he  
changed his shirt and charged downstairs into battle.  
  
"I can't believe my dad's home." Mehg muttered  
as she sat down on the bed.  
"Darien didn't look happy when you told him."  
Serena glanced up from the magazine she was reading  
and saw her friend's nervous expression.  
"That's because he wasn't happy, Darien wasn't  
all that upset when dad left six months ago. He was  
happy to finally have some breathing room, he was under  
a lot of pressure." Serena put down her magazine and  
turned her full attention to Mehg.  
"Pressure? Why?"  
Mehg grinned, "Darien is the future of this family,  
he'll take over the company some day. He has to be  
ready for that kind of responsibility." she said in an  
austere voice. "He must never do anything that might  
disgrace the family."  
"I remember him mentioning something about his  
father the day after we met. He told me that your dad  
wanted him to take over Harrison Enterprises and that he  
really didn't want to."  
"Oh, he doesn't. Darien would much rather do  
something else with his life. I don't think that my dad  
would be so forceful about the whole thing if Darien  
wasn't so good at business. He's got the mind for it and  
the attitude. He even told me one time that he enjoyed it,  
I think his resistance to the idea of taking over the  
company is because dad pushes him so hard."  
Serena nodded, completely understanding what  
Mehg meant. "Has he ever explained this to your dad?"  
"Dad has never listened to him, he doesn't care  
what Darien wants. He thinks that he knows what's best  
for him. Dad is the whole reason that Darien goes to  
Princeton and studies business instead of staying closer to  
home and studying what he really wants to study."  
Serena glanced up at the clock on Mehg's  
nightstand, "Yikes! I've gotta get going, my mom is  
expecting me home for dinner."  
"Maybe you could eat with us tonight, I think  
Darien could use some support." Mehg looked at her  
friend, silently pleading with her not to go.  
"I can't, mom says I spend too much time over  
here as is. She'll flip if I don't come home again."  
Serena rifled around in her purse for her keys, "Crap! I  
forgot that Darien picked me up this afternoon, my car is  
back in the shop again." Mehg handed Serena the phone.  
"Call your mother, eat over here."  
Serena shook her head, "You never give up do  
you?"  
  
"Okay, stay calm and don't worry. My father  
might look intimidating but he's really not that bad. But  
whatever you do, don't mention what you think about  
Darien taking over Harrison Industries." Serena nodded  
and repeated Mehg's words of caution over and over in  
her head. She smoothed out the red silk skirt that Mehg  
had lent her and picked a small lint ball off her sweater.  
Tonight's dinner was going to be more special than  
normal since they were celebrating their father's  
homecoming.  
Mehg pulled Serena down the stairs and lead her  
into the dining room. Everything looked more  
appropriate for a ball rather than just a family dinner.   
Darien looked a little more than startled to see Serena  
sitting down next to him at the table. She smiled  
reassuringly and patted his hand under the table.  
Mehg cleared her throat, "Dad, this is my best  
friend Serena. She also happens to be Darien's new  
girlfriend." Serena smiled nervously as she got her first  
good look at Mr. Harrison. He was a tall  
broad-shouldered man with dark brown hair and pircing  
gray eyes. He reminded her of a teacher she had  
freshman year who always made her feel intimidated and  
extremely tense every day during class.  
"It's nice to finally meet you Mr. Harrison." he  
nodded curtly and turned to Darien.  
"What happened to Rachael?"  
Darien glanced at Serena, who looked sick with  
anger and panic and then back to father, "She dumped me  
earlier this summer."  
"How long have you two been going out?" Mr.  
Harrison turned his cold gaze to Serena this time.  
"A- almost a month now." she felt Darien's hand  
cover hers under the table, trying to pour some strength  
into her.  
"Well I welcome you into the Harrison household.   
You do look familiar, have I met you before?"  
Serena wasn't used to this kind of rapid  
interrogation, "You probably have sir, my mother is the  
head gardener of your estate."  
Mr. Harrison's eyes narrowed as he remembered  
the girl from a function a couple of summers ago. She  
had been impertinent and rude while insulting all of them  
for not paying her mother enough.  
"Ahh yes, Mrs. Bancroft, she's a wonderful  
gardener. Does a fantastic job keeping the place up. It's  
a shame she isn't as good at raising well mannered  
children." he raised a glass of water to his mouth,  
watching her reaction over the brim.  
Serena knew what he was referring to and her  
mouth fell open, she could feel the anger rising up in her  
system. Darien's hand gripped hers tightly, silently  
urging her not to say anything disrespectful in reply.  
"I have grown up since that party sir, I tend to  
speak before I think at times. It's like my mouth has a  
mind of it's own." she smiled sweetly at him, while   
dreaming of stabbing the older man with his dinner fork.  
The food arrived just then and everyone at the  
table was more preoccupied with eating than making  
conversation. A tense silence clung to the atmosphere,  
making Serena afraid of making any kind of mistake.   
She quietly observed Darien's mother who had been  
completely silent all during the meal. She hadn't even  
raised her eyes from her plate.  
Mehg finally spoke and broke the quiet, "Serena  
is a fantastic artist dad, you should see her artwork. It's  
incredible."  
"You enjoy painting Serena?" Mr. Harrison asked  
her.  
Serena genuinely smiled this time, "It's my  
favorite thing to do. I hope to study art in Europe this  
school year on a special scholorship I applied for at the  
beginning of this summer. I want to be an artist when I  
grow up."  
"What a frivolous career choice, why not study  
something that's useful like business or law?"  
Serena narrowed her eyes at him, "I don't like  
business or law, I like to paint. And I'm not the only one  
who doesn't like business at this table." Darien's eyes  
widened at what he knew Serena was going to say next,  
"Mehg doesn't care for it either." she glanced at Darien  
and watched his expression go from one of dread to one  
of barely concealed amusement.  
"Yes I know that Mehg hates business. She's  
terrible at it anyways. Darien on the other hand is a born  
business man, he'll make a fine president someday when  
I retire." Mr. Harrison boasted, "I imagine that he'll be  
the most eligible bachelor in America one day, if he isn't  
already. He's smart, handsome and rich, isn't that right  
Serena? Perfect for any girl who's just looking to do  
something useless with her life."  
The table fell into a state of shock, tears of  
humiliation springing into Serena's eyes, "You know  
what, it's getting late. I- I should probably get going. I'll  
just go call my mom and have her come pick me up."  
With her body shaking, she stood up and pushed in her  
chair, "Thank you for the lovely meal, everything was  
wonderful Mrs. Harrison. Good night Mehg, Darien."  
She walked calmly into the kitchen and picked up  
the receiver before a large hand gently placed it back in  
it's cradle. "I'll take you home Serena, there's no need to  
make your mother come all the way out here." Darien's  
soft voice immediately made Serena's resistance crack  
and she felt the tears start to stream down her cheeks.  
Darien lead her outside and sat her down on a  
bench on the back porch. "Please don't cry darling."  
H- how can he say such mean, hateful things like  
that? How can you live with him, how can you stand  
him?" Darien's weight settled next to her on the bench  
and his arm wrapped around her shoulder. Her head fell  
onto his shoulder and she buried her hot face in the crick  
of his neck.  
"He says those things because he's Richard  
Harrison. The most important thing to him is power;  
power in the business world and power over the people  
around him. He lives to hurt and crush people, it makes  
him feel validated, better about himself. Even when it is  
just hurting the feelings of a teenaged girl who his son  
loves."  
"Does he always say things like that?"   
Darien chuckled, "All the time, I'm usually his  
main punching bag. Tonight he was just trying to  
convince himself that you were a gold digger, someone  
only after me because of my wealth and power. He  
thinks that my mom is the same way. I think that in her  
younger days she was probably like that and my dad  
realized too late. He knew what kind of scandal a  
divorce would cause so he just continued to stay married  
to her. He's convinced himself that that is the only  
reason anyone would love me. The only exception I've  
found was with Rachael because she was already rich."  
Serena turned her head up to look at him, "You  
know that I love you because of you, not because of your  
money right?" she was so serious that Darien didn't dare  
laugh at her question.  
"Of course I know that, I knew that my money  
didn't mean anything to you the moment I met you. You  
were never in a rush to get into a relationship with me, I  
was the one trying to rush you into one. The whole  
reason I started to fall for you in the first place was  
because you were so unaffected by my family's place in  
society. When I talk to my dad tonight I'm going to  
explain that to him and make him see that you're not like  
anyone else I've ever met." he brushed a stray tear from  
her cheek with his thumb and kissed her forehead. "Now  
let's get you home."  
He helped Serena to her feet and escorted her to  
his car and opened the door for her. She climbed  
carefully into the car and watched Darien walk around  
and get in. A few seconds later, they were on the way  
back to Serena's house.  
  
Mehg crouched outside the door of her father's  
study, her knees curled up to her chest, her chin propped  
up on top of them. There had been a shouting match  
going on behind the thick oak door for the last two hours.   
Darien had come home from driving Serena home and  
had immediately confronted his father.  
Mehg had parked herself in the dark corner, still  
within earshot of the conversation, right after the door  
slammed shut. Their father, as always, didn't care what  
Darien wanted or who he loved and for the last two hours  
had insisted that he was right about Serena and Darien's  
future.  
A silent suddenly fell over the room and Mehg  
strained her ears for any sound or movement. Without  
warning the door suddenly flew open and Darien charged  
out. There was a cold glint in his eyes and every inch of  
his muscular frame screamed of someone about to lose  
his sanity.  
"Darien if you would just grow up and listen to  
what I'm saying. I'm your father and I know what's best  
for you. If it hadn't have been for my help and insistence  
you would be a no one. You're poised to take over the  
greatest industrial empire man has ever built and you  
want to throw everything away! What is wrong with you?   
I leave for six months and suddenly you've become  
someone I barely recognize." Richard Harrison's voice  
turned cold, "You start seeing the gardener's daughter-"  
Darien spun around and took a step toward his  
father, his fists bawled up, "Leave Serena out of this!" he  
said in a low, menacing tone, "You can attack me all you  
want but leave my girlfriend alone." the color abruptly  
left Darien's face and his shoulders drooped with  
exhaustion, "Dad, you didn't listen to a word I said in  
that study did you? I don't want your life! I'm not you! I  
never wanted the company or even the Harrison name.   
My wishes haven't changed from when you left, you  
finally opened your eyes to see my opposition to your  
plan for my life. I'm sorry that you can see or accept that  
but I don't want to live in your shadow anymore."  
Mehg leaned forward to watch her father's  
reaction to Darien's confession. The older man seemed  
to age five years before her eyes, there was a tiredness  
that had suddenly permeated his aura of power and  
control.  
"I'm sorry if I've made you feel like that Darien.   
I guess I only saw so much potential in you to be a great  
business that I didn't want to see you waste it on  
something that wasn't worthy of your genius." he paused  
to study his son's face for a moment, "A man always  
wants what's best for his family and I wanted to give you  
and Mehg the world when you two were born. I've  
worked my entire life to reach the point where I am now.   
I didn't want to accept that you didn't want what I  
worked so hard to give you. I'll try to be better from now  
on, more accepting of what you want for your life. And  
I'll apologize to your lovely girlfriend tomorrow when  
she comes over, I said some very nasty things tonight that  
I'm not proud of. I'm sorry I've made such a mess of  
things."  
"It's never too late to fix mistakes and change the  
future, if that's what you really want." Darien's level  
gaze followed his father's nodding head. He then turned  
his face to the dark corner where his sister was huddled,  
watching everything unfold with rapt attention. "Well it's  
late and I need to get some sleep. Mehg, the show's over  
for the evening." Mehg cursed under her breath before  
standing up.  
"Night Daddy." she pressed a kiss on the older  
man's cheek and raced up the stairs before Darien could  
catch her.  
As Darien trudged up the stairs to his bedroom,  
things finally felt right to him. Tomorrow he would have  
Serena come over and his father could set right the  
wrongs he had committed. He tumbled into bed and fell  
into a blissful sleep.  
Of course things always do look brightest before  
the darkness falls.  
  
~* To be continued... *~  
  
A special thanks to Meredith for her editing skills  
and Mehg for all her advice. With all the help she gives  
me with this fic, she should probably be a co-author!  
  
Liz 


	7. The Next Level

Sweet Surrender  
Part 7/?  
By Elisabeth James  
liz221@ameritech.net  
  
YAY!! I got this out much faster than I have been  
in the past. It's been around a month since chapters 5  
and 6 came out! Hopefully (that being a key word here) I  
can manage to get two parts out a month from now on. I  
wrote up a nice outline the other night and with it's help  
it shouldn't take me so long to write chapters. Please  
send feedback! Think of it as a late birthday gift. (I turned  
18 the 21st of February)  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon  
  
~* Chapter Seven- The Next Level *~  
  
  
The sound of music and soft voices swirled  
around the expansive backyard of the Harrison estate.   
The summer was slowly drawing to a close and on this  
balmy evening at the end of August all of high society  
was gathered for one of the social events of the year.  
  
Serena stared down at the party from Mehg's  
bedroom window, watching the rich and powerful mingle  
with one another.  
  
"I never realized how formal these sort of parties  
are." Serena remarked softly as Mehg was still getting  
ready for the soiree.  
  
"Oh this is nothing, this is considered casual to  
most of the people out there." she held a dress up to her  
shoulders, "What do you think?"  
  
Serena turned her attention to her friend and made  
a face, "It's too dark for your hair." the dress was a  
scorching red and strapless. There was a high slit up  
each thigh and it swirled gracefully Mehg's feet.  
  
A gleam lit up Mehg's face, "You should wear it  
Serena, it would look perfect on you!" she carefully  
tossed the flimsy piece of fabric at her friend. Serena  
held it up to her own body and waited for her friend's  
reaction.  
  
"It's perfect, put it on right now, then I can do  
your hair and makeup." Serena nodded and quickly  
changed into the dress and had Mehg zip up the back for  
her. She turned in front of the mirror, studying her  
reflection. "I would kill to be as beautiful as you  
Serena."  
  
Serena looked at her friend who was struggling  
into a gown that matched her sparkling blue eyes  
perfectly. Mehg had already pinned up her curled dark  
hair on top of her head, letting the ringlets cascade down  
her neck and shoulders. She took her place next to  
Serena in front of the mirror and grinned, "We're gonna  
knock them dead out there, especially you. People will  
lose it when they see you on the arm of my brother."  
Serena's smile started to waiver, she knew that she was in  
over her head tonight.  
  
Mehg gently pushed Serena down into her desk  
chair to do her hair. She went to work curling her  
friend's lustrous mass of pale locks. "Mehg, I'm worried  
about saying the wrong thing or doing something stupid."  
Serena blurted out her concerns and listened to Mehg's  
musical laugh above her head.  
  
"Trust me, even if you do something stupid, no  
one will say anything. You're a special guest of the host  
and the girlfriend of his son, you're untouchable." she  
placed some whispy strands of Serena's hair strategically  
around her face. She clasped the rest up with a diamond  
clip and stepped back. "There, all done."  
  
Serena delicately touched the back of her head  
and stood up, "You're a miracle worker Mehg, I would  
be lost without you."  
  
Mehg tapped her chin as if deep in thought,  
"Yeah, probably." Serena giggled and Mehg pulled her  
out of the chair, "Now let's go find Darien so we join the  
party!"  
  
Serena and Mehg stepped out into the hallway and  
Mehg started down the stairs.  
  
"I think Darien's in his room, go and get him  
okay?" Mehg called up to her as she clomped down the  
stairs in her heels.  
  
Serena shook off the nervousness and walked  
down the hall. She rapped gently on Darien's door and it  
slowly opened.  
  
"Ready to make our debut?" Darien spun around  
to see his stunning girlfriend standing in the doorway of  
his room, an amused smile graced her face.  
  
He grinned at her, "Just let me finish tying this  
stupid tie, I can't get it straight." Serena walked into the  
room and took the hopelessly knotted bow tie away from  
him. With sure hands she unknotted the scrap of fabric  
and wrapped it around his neck. Her fingers quickly  
worked the bow into place.  
  
"There, perfect." he turned to examine his  
appearance in the full length mirror. With his crisp white   
shirt and fitted tuxedo Darien looked like the epitome of  
the upper class. "There are times when I can't believe  
you're mine." her words struck his heart and he placed  
his hands on her hips, drawing her closer.  
  
"I think that same thought every day." a soft blush  
crept into her cheeks. He planted a quick kiss on her lips,  
careful not mess up her perfect makeup job. "You look  
exquisite tonight." her red dress hugged her every curve  
and left her shoulders deliciously bare. She wore no  
jewelry, her neck and wrists were bare. Perfect. Keeping  
his eyes gazing into hers, he reached down and picked up  
a small black velvet box from his dresser. "I have  
something for you."  
  
With a puzzled look, she carefully took the box  
from Darien's grip. With shaking hands she opened it  
and found a diamond pendant winking back at her. "Oh  
Darien... You shouldn't have done this..." Before she  
could stop him, he had taken it out of the box and  
fastened it around her neck. It was a flawless  
compliment to her dress.  
  
"Think of it as a going away present, something to  
remember me after I leave next week." she nodded and  
felt the tears well up in her eyes. She knew that Darien  
was going to have to go back to college eventually, she  
just didn't want to let him go so soon.  
  
He felt her happy mood starting to disintegrate  
and placed his hand under her chin, guiding her eyes to  
his, "Nothing is going to change between us, distance  
can't make me stop loving you."  
  
She gave him a watery smile, "I know, but I just  
don't know what I'm going to do without you around  
every day. I feel like I'm losing apart of myself."  
  
His lips were on hers in a second, trying to  
reassure her without words that nothing would ever take  
him from her. She ran her hands up his firm chest and  
wrapped her arms around his neck, longing to be as close  
to him as possible.   
  
"We have to go downstairs Darien, the  
party-goers are waiting for you. You're the guest of  
honor after all." she finally broke the contact after a few  
minutes. He nodded and looked down at his slightly  
rumpled girlfriend.  
  
"You better have Mehg fix your makeup for you, I  
messed it up a little."  
  
She smiled and started to walk out of the room,  
"Maybe you can mess it up for me again later?" Serena  
gave him a playful wink and left the room.  
  
Darien studied the empty doorway for a moment  
before hurrying after her.  
  
  
Twenty minutes later Serena's saucy attitude had  
disappeared leaving behind the cold feeling of dread that  
had settled deep in her stomach. She planted what she  
hoped to be a friendly smile upon her face and clung to  
Darien's arm. He could feel how tense she was and held  
her hand tightly, trying desperately to reassure her.  
  
The backyard looked heavenly, tiny white twinkle  
lights decorated the bushes that lined the property. A  
string quartet was set up in one corner of the yard playing  
soft romantic music. People mingled around beautifully  
set dining tables, each one glowing with candle light and  
covered with bouquets of roses. Servers, dressed in  
flawlessly pressed uniforms, worked there way through  
the crowd carrying silver trays filled with champagne and  
other scrumptious looking morsels. And Mehg had said  
that this was a more casual party...  
  
"I've never seen anything so beautiful Darien, this  
is just magical." she told him in quiet awe as she looked  
around her.   
  
"I'm glad you like it, I wanted to make this night  
special for you, for the both of us." he kissed her hand  
and she felt her heart melt into a puddle at her feet. He  
lead her over to a group of his friends and began to  
introduce her around. But her mind was some place else,  
the wheels spinning, working out a solution to a problem  
she had tried to not consider.  
  
Serena smiled politely to everyone she was  
introduced to and tried to make pleasant conversation but  
it soon became quite obvious that the crowd Darien ran  
with and her had nothing in common besides Darien. As  
every minute passed she started to feel more and more  
like an outsider, like she didn't belong.  
  
Darien noticed her increasing tension but couldn't  
think of anyway to fix it besides having her leave the  
party. He grabbed a glass of champagne off one of the  
trays that the servers were carrying around and handed it  
to her.  
  
"Drink it slowly, it'll make you relax a little." she  
took a slow uncertain sip and felt the bubbly liquid slide  
smoothly down her throat.  
  
"Not bad, I've never had champagne before." she  
downed the rest of the glass quickly, liking the feeling of  
courage that it gave her. She grabbed another glass off a  
tray and began to sip it quickly. Darien shook his head.  
  
"No more after this, I don't need a drunk date  
tonight. Besides, you're WAY under age and you haven't  
had anything to eat all day. You'll make yourself sick."  
he touched the end of her nose gently, "I have to go and  
find my father. One of his business clients is here and  
needs to speak to him. Are you okay here by yourself for  
a few minutes?"  
  
Serena smiled warmly at him, "Of course, I'm not  
a child. I'll just stand right here." she untangled her arm  
from his and watched his broad back disappear into the  
crowd of people. She sat down on a nearby bench and  
gazed at all the couples swirling around on the dance  
floor. She kept sipping her champagne until there was  
none left and she felt quite happy and bubbly. Just for  
good measure she grabbed another flute of it when the  
server came by and she nursed this one, counting the  
seconds until Darien came back.  
  
Would she ever fit into his world? Would she  
always feel like such an foreigner? This wouldn't be the  
last social function she would ever have to attend with  
him if they stayed together. The Harrison family was  
incredibly influential and powerful, they were expected  
to be present at all the galas and parties that members of  
the upper class threw. After her uncomfortable behavior  
tonight, would he ever take her to another one? She  
lacked the social polish of a socialite, the conversation  
skills that it took to mingle. If she had any of these things  
she wouldn't just be sitting on some bench waiting for  
Darien to return to her.  
  
She looked down at her empty glass and realized  
that she had downed three champagne cocktails in less  
than 10 minutes. Her stomach let out a grumble in  
protest and she started to feel a little lightheaded. She  
felt someone sit down next to her on the bench and  
turned to see Mehg looking at her, her face worried.  
  
"Serena, what's wrong? You look like you don't  
feel well." she moved closer to her friend and put an arm  
around her shoulder.  
  
Serena shrugged her away, "I'm fine, I was just  
thinking about something that made me feel unhappy."  
Mehg took note of the glass in Serena's hand.  
  
"How many drinks have you had tonight?" Serena  
held up three fingers and let her head fall into her hands.  
  
"You're not going to throw up, are you?" Serena  
shook her head and felt a sob escape her mouth. Mehg's  
arm was back around her in a second, "Serena, tell me  
what's wrong? Where's Darien? Did he leave you here  
all by yourself?"  
  
"It's not his fault, he needed to find your dad. I  
told him I would stay right here. He's been gone for ten  
minutes, he'll be back soon." Serena harshly brushed a  
tear from her cheek, "When he left, I got to thinking  
about how I don't belong here. I'm a nobody at a party  
full of somebodies. I have no right to be in the company  
of the people here tonight, I have no right to be going out  
with Darien. He should be with someone from this  
world, a girl who can handle situations like these without  
breaking down."  
  
Mehg let out a long sigh, "He wants you Serena,  
not some stupid socialite. You have every right to be  
going out with him, who told you that you didn't? Love  
doesn't stop at social barriers, it barges through them.   
And if you love him as much as loves you, and I think  
that you do, then why throw that away? There are people  
here tonight that would kill for a love like you and Darien  
have because their own lives are so empty. Money really  
can buy anything Serena, including love." Mehg looked  
up to find Darien walking quickly toward them, "Don't  
give up and don't let go." she stood up and smiled at  
Darien, "She's okay, she just got a little upset. I'll let you  
take over from here." she waved goodbye to Serena and  
disappeared.  
  
"Are you okay?" he sat down in Mehg's vacated  
spot and pulled his girlfriend close. She curled up next to  
him and rested her head on his chest.  
  
"I'm better now." she whispered, her head was  
starting to feel a little bit better and Darien's presence  
calmed her rampant thoughts.  
  
Strains of "If Ever I Would Leave You" floated  
across the yard from the quartet and Darien looked down   
at the girl in his arms, "Would you care to join for a  
dance milady?" A grin lit up her face and she placed her  
hand in his.  
  
He pulled her gently across the yard and onto the  
dance floor, which was little more than a secluded place  
in the backyard to enjoy the music and the company of  
another person.  
  
They swayed back and forth to the song, Darien's  
hands rested gently at the curve of her back, her head  
cradled on his broad shoulder. Serena closed her eyes  
and felt the most at peace she had ever felt. She was so  
relaxed in fact, that she could feel herself drifting off to  
sleep in Darien's arms.  
  
"You tired angel?" Darien whispered the question  
into her ear, his warm breath tickling her skin. She  
nodded sleepily and Darien chuckled, the deep laughter  
reverberated in his chest. "Let's head into the house  
then, I'm pretty tired myself." she nodded again and took  
his hand and the couple walked slowly toward the  
mansion.  
  
  
An hour later, however, Serena was hit by a  
second wind and was no longer tired. They had popped  
in a movie in Darien's bedroom and while they had both  
been focused on it in the beginning, their attentions had  
turned elsewhere.  
  
She could still hear the party going on underneath  
Darien's window. The group had grown louder as the  
servers circled around handing out more champagne and  
wine. It had been only an hour ago when she felt the  
lowest she could ever remember feeling and now when it  
was just herself and Darien euphoria seemed to flow  
through her veins.  
  
"Stop doing that!" warm hands around her  
midsection pulled her from her thoughts. Serena pushed  
his hands away from her stomach as he tried to tickle her  
again. She let out a shriek of laughter as he broke  
through her defenses and began to torment her.  
  
His hands stopped suddenly, "Ah! Your feet are  
cold!" Darien gasped as one of Serena's appendages crept  
up his pant leg. She giggled as he tried to shake it away.  
"If that's the way you're going to play, I guess I'll have to  
find another way to get your icy feet off my leg." His lips  
descended to hers and she immediately forgot about  
trying to keep her feet around his leg. In fact she forgot  
about everything but his warm body on top of hers.  
  
She could feel his hands caressing her back,  
sending tremors down her spine and racking her senses.   
They were quickly climbing the ladder of intensity, she  
was waiting for him to pull away from her like he always  
did when things got this hot.  
  
And she wasn't disappointed, "Serena, let's watch  
the movie." his hands slowly pulled away from her waist,  
as if they didn't really want to let go.  
  
"Maybe I don't want to watch the movie." she  
pulled his face back down to hers catching him in an  
earth shattering kiss. He didn't fight her and gave in  
temporarily until it became apparent that things had to  
stop.  
  
Darien pulled away once more, his breath  
catching in the back of his throat. "Serena, we need to  
stop, I'm serious." he gazed down into her eyes and saw  
that so was she.  
  
He looked incredibly sexy with the sleeves of his  
tuxedo shirt rolled up to his elbows, his ebony hair was  
delightfully tousled and his eyes staring into her soul. "I  
want this Darien." her voice didn't waiver, her smile  
didn't falter. Everything that night had been almost  
perfect and all that she wanted was for him to feel the  
same way she did.  
  
"No, I can't." he shook his head and tried to pull  
away from her but her arms were intertwined around his  
neck, fixing him in place.  
  
"I love you, I want to be with you." he stopped  
struggling to get up, and contemplated his girlfriend's  
features. Certainty was etched in her smile, her eyes.  
  
"I can't Serena, I love you too but..." but he felt  
himself giving in and she knew it.  
  
"I want to be with you in every way before you  
leave. I'm ready for this, I want this. I want you."  
  
That was all he needed to hear.  
  
~* To Be Continued... *~  
  
Okay... Please tell me what you think. I really  
want to know. Love it? Hate it? Want to throw me in a  
pit of scalding hot lava and laugh as I melt into a puddle  
of goo? Let me know!  
  
I dedicate this chapter to Mehg. She has been  
such a HUGE help with this fic. She's always offering  
suggestions and pointers and not afraid to tell me if she  
doesn't like something. It was also her idea for the end.   
Anyone who knows Mehg knows what a hentai she is  
^^;;;;;  
  
Thanks also to my editor Mere for all her advice  
and help as well. *hugs*  
  
Liz-chan 


	8. The Power of Goodbye

Sweet Surrender  
Part 8/?  
By Elisabeth James  
liz221@ameritech.net  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon!  
  
Part 8: The Power of Goodbye  
  
  
Slats of light poured through the cracks in the  
blinds of Darien's large bedroom, flooding the room with  
soft morning sunlight. Serena let out a soft moan before  
turning over and burying her face in her pillow, trying  
desperately to escape back into the darkness. She could  
feel Darien shifting beside her, slowly waking up. He  
always was a morning person.  
  
The scent of the pillow was comforting, the smell  
of his shampoo invaded her senses. Despite the fact that  
she was still extremely exhausted, her eyes didn't wish to  
stay closed, her body was forced into a state of restless  
wakefulness.  
  
Only moments ago last night had been a blur of  
faces from the party until the memories of what had also  
happened last night came back with startling clarity. She  
could feel her face flush with self-consciousness,  
thankful that it was buried in a pillow and that Darien  
seemed to be still semi- asleep.  
  
Everything last night had been breaktakingly  
perfect, she couldn't have pictured the experience any  
other way. It had been an act of exquisite beauty, slow  
and gentle torture with the man she loved more than life  
itself.  
  
She felt an arm slowly wrap itself around her  
waist, pulling her close to Darien's warm body. She  
lifted her face from her temporary haven and saw his face  
grinning back at her.  
  
"Morning beautiful." he tugged boyishly on her  
hair, causing her giggle. He kissed her languidly, letting  
his lips linger on hers for as long as possible. "You're up  
awful early for not being a morning person."  
  
She grinned up at him, "Strange room, strange  
bed, plus it's way too light in here. And I was thinking."  
her face sobered on that last note, Darien took immediate  
notice.  
  
"What were you thinking about?" he was almost  
positive he already knew and was terrified of her reply.   
Things last night had been wonderful but he couldn't help  
but feel a little guilty. She was so young, so innocent,  
what if she had decided that it had been a mistake to  
spend the night with him?  
  
"What happened between us last night. How  
extraordinary it was, how we should have do it months  
ago." she arched her eyebrow at him, as if she knew  
exactly what he was thinking this time. He felt the breath  
leave him for a moment before a great feeling of relief  
washed over him.  
  
"No, last night was the perfect time. I wouldn't  
trade last night for anything." he rumpled her already  
messed up hair and sat up. "I really should make an  
appearance downstairs, considering the way I  
disappeared last night. Do you want to go back to  
sleep?" he stood up and pulled on a pair of jeans. Serena  
stared at him for a moment, content just to openly watch  
him.  
  
"Nope, I'm wide awake now. I might as well get  
up and see if Mehg is alive and moving yet. We had  
plans to go shopping today." Darien nodded and opened  
the door.  
  
Mehg stood in the open doorway, her mouth  
agape in feigned shock, "My eyes! My eyes! My virgin  
eyes!" Darien rolled his own eyes and pushed her out of  
the way.  
  
"Be quiet Mehg. Why don't you try acting like an  
adult for once?" she stuck out her tongue at his retreating  
back.  
  
"Bite me Darien." she replied smartly before  
turning her attention to Serena who was creeping down  
underneath Darien's comforter. "You do know that I  
already saw you right?"  
  
Serena signed and pulled the blanket off from  
over her head, "I was hoping that you hadn't." To her  
eternal relief Mehg just continued to smile. Serena felt  
herself relaxing again, "Do you still want to go shopping  
today?"  
  
"You bet, that's why I came in here to find you.   
I'll drive you home so you can shower and change and  
then we hit the mall." Mehg dug into her pocket and  
unearthed a small shiny object, "I've got my dad's  
platinum card."   
  
  
  
Two hours later Serena and Mehg pulled up into  
the mall parking lot and climbed out of Mehg's  
convertible. It was an incredibly humid day and after  
spending half the morning at Serena's unair conditioned  
apartment both girls were eager to get into the nice cool  
building looming before them.  
  
The good mood that had passed between them  
earlier that day slowly started to disappear as Serena  
considered Mehg's reaction to finding her in Darien's  
bed. The comfort that had greeted her at first had faded  
to a dull ache of uncertainty. Her friend had been so non-  
nonchalant about the situation that it made Serena feel as if  
Mehg had been placed in that same predicament before.  
  
After Mehg had purchased a new skirt at Gap,  
they headed toward the food court to refuel before hitting  
any other stores. With chocolate milkshakes in hand, the  
two found an empty table and sat down.  
  
"Is everything okay?" Mehg wasn't oblivious to  
Serena's plummeting mood, she had watched her friend  
grow more and more withdrawn with every store they had  
entered.  
  
"Yeah, I guess." Serena spoke after hesitating for  
a few moments, "I just have something on my mind." she  
was looking for a delicate way to approach the subject  
without insulting Darien or making Mehg become  
uncomfortable.  
  
"Wanna talk about it?" Mehg volunteered  
helpfully, hoping that Serena would speak up about what  
was bothering her.  
  
Serena played with her drinking straw before  
finding the courage to meet Mehg's questioning eyes,  
"This morning..."  
  
Automatically interpreting Serena's discomfort  
with what she had seen this morning, Mehg attempted to  
try and make Serena feel better about the whole incident,  
"Serena don't worry about, I have plenty of experience  
dealing with my brother's girlfriends the morning after."  
  
The chocolate shake slipped from Serena's  
sweaty hands and fell to the table. The sticky liquid  
seemed to explode from the container and started running  
down the table. Serena looked at her friend's stricken  
face, "Plenty of experience?"  
  
Mehg knew that she had made a miscalculation,  
"I didn't mean it like that Serena..." she trailed off and  
Serena that knew Mehg had indeed meant it exactly like  
that. Her best friend had just confirmed all of her fears in  
a matter of seconds.  
  
Serena picked up a stack of napkins and tried to  
blot up the mess she had made, unable to meet Mehg's  
eyes. Finally after minutes of tense silence, Serena broke  
down into tears. "I'm a complete idiot Mehg. I knew... I  
knew that I wasn't his first, but I never could have  
imagined... How many? How many have you seen  
leaving his room the next morning?" she knew she was  
just torturing herself by asking but she had to know. How  
many times had he whispered the words he had said to  
her last night in another girl's ear? Set their bodies on  
fire like he had hers?  
  
"Serena, please don't ask me that." Mehg  
gathered up her friend and her bags and led her to another  
bench so that they could speak more privately. "Just let it  
go, he's with you now. He loves you."  
  
The words seemed hollow in Serena's ears. Yes,  
he was with her now but for how much longer. He was  
leaving later this week for his last year of college. They  
would be apart for weeks at a time. What if he met  
someone else? What if he wanted someone more...  
experienced, more beautiful? Someone who could stand  
beside him as an equal, hold her own at a gala like the  
one last night. Someone who reeked of self- confidence  
and didn't hesitate when she wanted something... or  
someone. She could never be those things for him.   
  
"He's with me now Mehg, but he's leaving for  
school. What if he finds someone else?"   
  
Mehg shook her head firmly, "Not possible.   
Darien isn't that type of guy." her face grew troubled,  
"You're worried about him breaking up with you for  
another girl?"  
  
"I don't know what I'm worried about. I'm so  
unsure about everything right now." she buried her face  
in her hands, hot tears still pouring down her cheeks.  
  
"Do you regret sleeping with him?" Mehg asked  
her softly. Serena's head shot up at the question.  
  
"No. Yes. I don't know. Before last night if this  
whole relationship didn't work out I could just walk  
away. It would hurt like hell to leave him but I could if it  
came right down to it." as she spoke the words, she found  
herself second guessing herself. Could she have walked  
away from him, ended things with the one man that made  
her feel as if her soul was on fire? That filled her life  
with passion? "Now he has a part of me, I'll never be  
able to look back on my first time without thinking of  
him. It's irreversible." her voice trembled, "It was a  
stupid thing for me to do."  
  
"It wasn't stupid Serena, maybe right now it looks  
like it but you love him. No matter what happens after he  
leaves, right now, as we sit here he's missing you,  
thinking about you. Never regret an act born out of  
mutual love and respect like what took place last night."  
Mehg placed a hand on her friend's shoulder, "Are you  
going to talk to him about this?" She added softly.  
  
"Should I? I wouldn't know how to go about it.   
Darien makes me feel full and empty at the same time. I  
never knew anything about desire and love before I met  
him, the feelings that bombard me when I'm near him  
make me feel as if I'm about to explode on contact. But  
at the same time, I'm filled with insecurity. I could fight  
it at first but I'm losing to it now." she drew in a deep  
breath, finally getting at what was truly bothering her.  
"You saw my breakdown last night at the party. He may  
love me Mehg with every fiber in his being but I always  
wonder if I'll be enough."  
  
Mehg gaped at her friend, "Serena, the man burns  
for you! What else could you ask for? Darien treats you  
like a princess, he could easily give you the world."   
  
Serena shook her head miserably, "I know that he  
would, I don't doubt his love. I just can't help feeling  
that I'm just not good enough, like I don't fit into your  
way of life. Darien is going to be incredibly successful  
later in life, he was born to do something important. He's  
going to need someone who doesn't need their hand held  
at a dinner party." she wrung her hands in her lap and  
stared helplessly at the ground, "Sooner or later he's  
going to want someone who's confident, able to take  
control of a situation. Someone completely unlike me."  
  
Mehg couldn't disagree more but felt it wasn't her  
place to speak up in her brother's defense, "Do you want  
to end things?" the question hit Serena like a sucker  
punch to the stomach. The tears welled up in her eyes at  
the thought of losing him. He had become almost her  
entire world in the last few months of her life. But she  
couldn't handle the relationship anymore. She couldn't  
stand anymore sleepless nights, thinking about how to be  
a better match for him, how to change herself into what  
he needed. Especially when what he needed wasn't  
anything she could be.  
  
"Should I?" Serena whispered the words, talking  
more to herself than Mehg, "I can't. I can't end it with  
him, especially not after last night. What am I going to  
do Mehg?"  
  
Mehg pulled her friend in close for a hug, "I don't  
know Serena, I honestly don't know."  
  
  
  
The week seemed to disappear before Serena's  
eyes and it felt like the day Darien was scheduled to leave  
had crept up on her like a lion stalking it's prey. She had  
tried to keep a degree of normality about their  
relationship, but it was quite obvious to Darien that  
something was bothering her. She had pulled away from  
him both emotionally and physically. She jerked away  
from kisses that she normally would have let linger as  
long as possible, shrugged away when he placed an arm  
around her shoulder. She was withdrawn, barely  
speaking when they were together. But it was the look in  
her eyes that truly affected him the most. The light had  
seemed to die, consumed by some unknown darkness.   
And he wasn't sure if he was the one who had killed it.  
  
Darien had begged Mehg several times to tell him  
if she knew something, but his little sister had refused to  
speak for Serena, giving him the same knowing look  
each time. Between packing and trying to get Serena to  
open to him again he was slowly going insane.  
  
Mehg was worried about her friend as well, she  
was unsure of what Serena had decided to do about the  
situation. She watched as her brother became desperate  
to reach out to her again, but there was no kiss that could  
bring Serena back to the happy state she had once been  
in.  
  
It wasn't until the night before Darien was to leave  
that he had finally had enough of the silence and asked  
Serena to take a walk with him. They made their way  
through the darkness toward the main street of town.   
Children raced around them, the last of 4th of July  
sparklers glittering in their dirty hands. The park was  
swarming with people mourning the loss of summer and  
beginning of school.  
  
Serena watched them through sad eyes, taking in  
the events around her with as much distance as possible.   
She knew that Darien was concerned about the way she  
had been acted the last few days and that he wanted to  
talk with her about it before he left the next morning.   
Her heart had torn itself in two, an internal war was  
brewing between her mind and soul as she walked by his  
side, her hand in his.  
  
He lead her to a vacant bench and sat her down,  
her eyes never met his own. With a long sigh, he placed  
his hand under her chin and guided her eyes to met his  
own. "Talk to me Serena, what's been going on with you  
this week. Ever since you came home from shopping  
Sunday afternoon something has been bothering you."  
She jerked her gaze from his but he held firm and made  
her look at him again, "Mehg won't tell me what  
happened, I can't get a straight answer from you. What  
did I do to make you act this way toward me Serena?" she  
could hear the pure anguish in his voice but said nothing.   
"Is this about what happened Saturday night?"   
  
She tried to shake her head no but it refused to  
move, the silence and the pink stain spreading across her  
cheeks damning her. He dropped her hand and snapped  
his gaze from hers, anger humming through his veins. Oh  
how he hated himself at that moment. Unable to deal  
with him trembling beside her and thinking his anger was  
directed at her, Serena finally spoke. "Darien, please-"  
  
He cut her off with a look, "Do you regret  
spending the night with me Serena? Is that what this is  
about?" she had never seen him like this, so full of anger  
that his eyes seemed to gleam with an odd light.  
  
"No!" the word exploded from her mouth before  
she could stop it.   
  
"Then explain it to me dearest." the mocking tone  
and Cheshire cat smile caused Serena's air of cool  
nonchalance to disappear completely.  
  
"Look around you Darien! Look at the world you  
live in! Try to see as an outsider might see it! I see the  
beautiful girls who stare at you when you walk by, I see  
the looks your father still gives me when he thinks I'm not  
looking, I see the mansion you live in, the one you treat  
like a quaint little cottage. You want to know how I feel  
Darien, completely and totally inadequate to you and  
your world. I look at myself in the mirror everyday and I  
wonder how you can love me when there's so many other  
women in the world who are better suited for you and  
your lifestyle. I wonder how long it will be until you find  
someone else. And believe me when I say that I wonder  
how many other girls you've whispered sweet nothings to,  
and made love to, making them feel as if they were on  
fire, like you did to me." tears had begun to stream down  
her face.   
  
All traces of anger faded from Darien's body at  
the sight of his girlfriend weeping before him and he  
pulled her into his arms. She clung to him as if she was  
dying and he was her last chance at life. He rocked her  
until she was cried out and her body had stopped shaking.   
"Serena, you're perfect for me. There's nothing  
inadequate about you, I couldn't imagine you any other  
way." he sighed softly into her hair, "I will admit that  
before you I was a much different person. I did things  
that I regret now and because of them I too feel like I'm  
unworthy of you at times. I wonder how you, someone  
with passion streaming through their veins twenty-four  
hours a day, could possibly love someone like me,  
someone who can barely feel. I wonder what you could  
see in me because I certainly can't figure it out. I wonder  
how you can trust me like you do and surrender to that  
trust and give me the gift of your beautiful body and your  
love."  
  
It took all the strength she could muster to pull  
away from his strong embrace and look him in the eyes.   
"Darien I love you with all of my heart. But after  
searching through every fiber of my heart and soul this  
past week I wonder how we, as a couple, could possibly  
survive when you leave." he started to interrupt and she  
placed a finger to his lips, hushing him immediately,  
"Maybe it's the mature part of me coming out for the first  
time or maybe it's just the stupid part of me but I'm 17  
years old. I'm clumsy, I'm immature, I'm insecure. And  
the feelings you've dredged up with your kisses and your  
touch are like a tidal wave, threatening to pull me under  
every time. And every time I'm left gasping in the wake,  
left with thoughts and feelings I don't know how to  
handle. You could swear up and down to me that you  
would never leave me and I would believe you with  
everything in my power. But part of me is terrified and  
you can't just make that go away. Time will make it go  
away, age will make it go away." She took a deep breath,  
wanting to get the words out and over with. "When you  
leave tomorrow, I don't want you to be tied down to a girl  
who can't make up her mind. I think that we should end  
this thing. End it and take the experiences that it has  
given us and take our separate paths."  
  
Darien felt the world suddenly tilt dizzily around  
him as Serena freed her hands from his, "I don't  
understand Serena. We have something between us that  
almost nobody has, why give it up? I don't want to let  
you go." he touched the side of her face softly, her eyes  
closed and a final tear slid down her pale cheek. She  
kissed his fingers one by one and brought his hand to her  
breast.  
  
"Feel my heart Darien beating beneath your hand?   
It beats for you, it will always beat for you but I need  
time to make it beat for me too. I'm no good to you right  
now, I want to grow into a woman that's worthy of the  
Harrison name and I need to do that outside of your  
mighty shadow. I want to be someone you can be proud  
of, like I'm proud of you right now. Years down the road  
if and when we meet again who knows what might  
happen, what sparks might fly." she stood up slowly,  
fighting the urge to crawl into his arms again. "Good-bye  
Love and good luck." With that she turned and walked  
away, her soul crying with every step for her to stop and  
turn back. But she couldn't do it or nothing would ever  
change.   
  
He watched her retreating back as she put more and   
more distance between them. He wanted to run after her   
and sweep her up into his arms and keep her there for   
eternity but deep down he knew she was right. Neither  
of them could handle the depth of the feelings between   
them. Even so he couldn't guard against the bitterness   
that seemed to invade his system at the sight of her   
leaving him. He could have given her everything that she  
had ever wanted and yet, she still refused his pleas to   
stay with him. Sighing, he stood up and started back   
toward home, unable to do anything to change the   
situation he had just been thrown into. He had an early   
start tomorrow and he knew that Serena's beautiful face   
would surely haunt him tonight.  
  
  
The End!  
....  
....  
....  
  
LOL! I would never end a fic like that!  
  
Chapter nine is already finished, so look for it next week.   
Can't have it coming out too quickly, it would ruin the   
suspense :)  
  
Brought to you by your resident EMSiT!  
  
Liz-chan 


	9. Ghosts of the Past

Sweet Surrender  
Part 9/?  
By Elisabeth James  
liz221@ameritech.net  
  
~* Part 9: Ghosts of the Past *~  
  
4 years later...  
  
  
"Serena, come look!" Mehg squealed excitedly  
while pointing to her computer screen. Serena pulled the  
covers up over her head and tried to tune her friend out.   
She hadn't expected rooming with Mehg would be so  
much different then it was when she spent the night over  
at her house but at least then she could go home to escape  
from the perkiness that seemed to flow through her best  
friend's veins.  
  
"Go to bed Mehg! It's almost two in the morning,  
why are you checking your e-mail now?" Mehg jumped  
out of her computer chair and stalked over to her friend's  
bed. In a flash the covers were off and in a lumpy pile  
upon the carpeted floor. "MEHG! Leave me alone, I was  
sleeping!"   
  
Mehg dragged Serena's almost lifeless body  
across the room and held her face up to the glowing  
monitor. "Guess who's coming to visit us?" Before  
Serena could even wager a guess, the answer spilled out  
of Mehg's mouth "Darien!"   
  
The sleepy haze left Serena immediately as her  
mouth dropped open with surprise. She skimmed the  
e-mail in front of her, it was short and sweet and did  
indeed say that he was coming at the end of next week  
for a three day visit.  
  
"Isn't this just great? You two can finally hook  
back up!" she wrapped her arms around Serena in a fierce  
hug, "I'm SO happy!"  
  
Serena slowly untangled Mehg's arms from  
around her and stood back up. "That's wonderful, I guess  
I'll just crash in someone else's room for a few nights  
and make myself scarce." she crawled back into bed and  
fished her covers up off the ground.  
  
"You don't want to see him? Serena..."  
  
Serena closed her eyes and tried to sound as firm  
as possible, "No Mehg, I don't want to see him. I never  
really want to see him again."  
  
Mehg plopped down on Serena's bed, "So he  
hasn't really bothered to keep in touch these last couple  
of years. He was named vice-president of Harrison  
Industries, he's been working like a madman for the last  
year and a half. Hell, I'm his sister and I haven't spoken  
to him since last Thanksgiving. That's almost six months  
ago!" Serena buried her face in her pillow in response.  
  
"I'll talk to you about this in the morning. Please,  
will you let me get some sleep now?" Mehg nodded  
and sat back down at her computer to quietly write   
a response.  
  
  
  
The next afternoon when Serena was much more  
awake, Mehg was again seated at her computer, happily  
typing away. Suddenly, she sprang up from her desk  
chair, "It's all set Serena! He'll be here on Thursday!"  
Serena had seen Mehg in a lot of states but never in one  
of such outward elation. She grinned as her best friend  
bounced around the dorm room, almost running into her  
bedpost.  
  
"I know you're excited and all that but I hope  
you're not getting your hopes up about me and him  
getting back together." she glanced up from the book she  
was reading as Mehg stopped doing some twisted form of  
the chicken dance.  
  
"Oh I know." Mehg replied, abruptly much more  
subdued, "But wouldn't it just be great if something did  
happen between you two again? You have no idea how  
perfect you two were for one another. Not to mention,  
when you guys broke up I lost my title as 'World's Best  
Matchmaker'." she took the book out of Serena's hands,  
"Will you promise me that you'll at least entertain the  
thought if it looks like a possibility?"  
  
Serena grabbed the book back from her, "If he shows up   
here on Thursday and it still looks like there's   
something between us then yes. But who knows what might  
happen, he could have someone else by now." Mehg franticly  
began to shake her head, "It's been four years Mehg!   
That's a long time to wait for someone. If all the   
guys here didn't pale in comparison to your brother   
I might have found someone else too."  
  
"So you do still have feelings for him!"   
  
"I didn't say that. It's just hard not to compare  
every guy I've dated to Darien. If I hadn't been so young  
or so confused, we could have been engaged by now, who  
knows. I really loved him and looking back at everything  
now, I still wonder if I did the right thing."  
  
Mehg decided to drop her overly enthusiastic  
attitude for a moment and cut straight to the chase, "Well  
now is your opportunity to make amends. You're a  
grown woman now, you know what you want out of life  
and what you want out of a partner. Fix your mistakes,  
talk to him, tell him how you feel."  
  
Serena rolled her eyes and looked back down at  
her book, "I feel nothing except regret for what  
happened. I will talk to him though, I still miss his  
friendship and the way I could tell him anything. If  
anything more happens it will be a pleasant surprise."  
  
Mehg grinned, "Yes it will."  
  
  
  
Classes for the rest of the week seemed to fly by,  
even though Serena was quietly wishing that time would  
just stand still. As Mehg grew more and more excited  
about her brother's impending visit, Serena grew more  
and more apprehensive about seeing the only man she  
had ever loved again. She had no clue what to expect  
from of him and was terrified at the thought of something  
happening between them again. She might have been  
able to walk away from him when she was young and  
naive but faced with him now when she knew he was  
exactly what she was looking for, it would be almost  
impossible.  
  
Finally when the day arrived Serena thought she  
was going to be sick. She had skipped her classes that  
day, something she never did, and stayed in bed. It  
wasn't until Mehg came back to the room and made her  
shower and make herself look as lovely as possible that  
she actually left the warm, safe haven.  
  
"He's taking us out to dinner, you had better be at  
least a little social tonight. If he were to walk in right  
now, he would be getting all the wrong signals from  
you." Mehg told her while she was putting in a pair of  
earrings.  
  
"I'll try Mehg but I guarantee nothing." she  
looked down and smoothed out her skirt, "But remember,  
he came here to see you, not me." A sudden, sharp rap at  
the door caused the both of them to stop what they were  
doing. An uneasy feeling of dread seemed to start doing  
a dance in her stomach and Serena had to sit down.  
  
Mehg ran across the room and threw open the  
door, "Darien!" Serena watched as her best friend  
launched herself at her older brother. "It's been so long,  
how are you?"   
  
She heard Darien's deep chuckle resonate through  
the small room and fought off her nausea to stand up and  
greet him like an old friend should.  
  
Serena never expected him to still look so  
wonderful. If she hadn't known better, she would have  
thought time had frozen him when she had last laid eyes  
on him. His shoulders were broader, his physic was trim  
and toned. He looked dead sexy in his black leather  
jacket, charcoal gray sweater and tight blue jeans. She  
slid what she hoped to be a warm smile into place and  
stepped forward to say hello.  
  
"Hello Darien." his eyes snapped to hers and for a  
moment Serena felt the world tilt around her. Mehg  
pulled her brother into the room and watched the sparks  
seem to fly around her.  
  
He firmly clasped her hand in his, "Serena, how  
great to finally see you again. It seems like an eternity  
ago since that night in the park." she nodded slightly, still  
unable to form a fully coherent thought. "You are even  
more beautiful than I remember you to be."   
  
She felt a blush sweep across her cheeks, "You  
look wonderful too." she stammered. It dawned on her  
then that she was behaving as if she was still 17 and that  
caused her to remove her hand from his and attempt to  
take a more mature approach.  
  
He seemed to notice her abrupt change in attitude  
and reeled in his own tumbling emotions. Clearing his  
throat, he grinned and motioned to someone outside the  
door, "I have someone I wanted introduce to you both,  
well it's really more of a reintroduction." both girls  
gasped as the tall, gorgeous brunette entered the room, "I  
trust you both remember Rachael."  
  
Mehg opened her mouth to comment but Serena  
stepped in, "Of course I remember Rachael, it's so nice to  
see you again." Mehg carefully reached over and poked  
her best friend hard in the back but Serena's smile  
remained.  
  
Rachael smiled icily back, "Serena right?" Serena  
nodded slightly, "You're the one who dumped Darien a  
few years back?" Without waiting for a reply she  
forged onwards, "It really is a shame that things didn't  
work out between you. But it's for the best I guess." she  
ran her right hand up and down Darien's arm, showing  
off a large sparkling diamond ring. Serena's eyes  
were immediately drawn to it and Rachael took notice.  
A cold, calculating grin lit up her face, "Isn't it breathtaking,  
Darien just proposed yesterday. Of course, I wasn't  
about make the same mistake as Serena and let him  
go."  
  
Mehg let out a soft moan and didn't bother with  
civilities, "You asked HER to marry you?! What the hell  
is wrong with you?"   
  
Serena shot Mehg a look that plainly said shut up.   
"Well, I'm very happy for the both of you. I'm sure that  
you'll both have many wonderful years together." Not  
meeting Darien's eyes she turned to him, "Will Rachael  
be joining us for dinner tonight?"  
  
Rachael answered for him, "Oh no, I must be  
getting back home. I don't want to interrupt Mehg and  
Darien's reunion after all. You might consider doing the  
same thing Serena, just to be courteous." She gave  
Darien a long lingering kiss and turned to leave, "See you  
girls later."  
  
Before Mehg could say anything, Darien cut her  
off, "I made reservations at a restaurant downtown, we  
need to get going before they give our table away. We  
can discuss this later."   
  
"You two go and enjoy you time together, I think  
I'm just going to stay here for the evening." Serena  
plopped down on her bed and tried to ignore Mehg's  
heated looks in her direction.  
  
"Serena, you haven't eaten a thing all day, so I  
know you're probably starving. And it's been such a long  
time since you've seen Darien, I'm sure he would love  
get to know you again." Mehg mumbled under breath,  
"Come or I will kill you myself when I get back here."  
  
Darien remained silent through the entire  
exchange, unable to grasp how different Serena was from  
the girl he remembered. She spoke with more  
confidence, moved with a refined grace that she must  
have picked up somewhere in their four years apart. Is  
this the type of person she had wanted to become for  
him? She had grown up, matured, and become the most  
beautiful woman he had ever seen.  
  
With a sigh Serena rose from the bed and  
followed Mehg and Darien down to the car.  
  
  
  
The car ride was eerily quiet, with no one having  
the courage to bring up a topic of conversation. Mehg  
had insisted that Serena ride shot gun next to Darien, so  
she had to endure a 45 minute car ride with his arm  
brushing up against hers. She felt sick to her stomach,  
the nearness of him was having a nasty effect on her  
senses.  
  
He gently touched her arm, "Are you all right?"  
he finally spoke and her eyes met his. For a moment, she  
felt like she was drowning but quickly jerked her gaze  
away.  
  
"Fine, just fine." she mumbled in reply.  
  
They rode the rest of the way in absolute silence.  
  
  
  
The restaurant that Darien had selected was more  
casual than formal and Serena immediately felt a little  
more at ease now that she didn't have to worry about a  
formal dining situation.  
  
Mehg slid into one side of the booth while Darien  
sat on the other side. Serena motioned for Mehg to move  
down and watched as her best friend firmly shook her  
head, "I've got all the jackets over here, sit by Darien."  
  
Hating the fact that Mehg was deliberately doing  
this to her and vowing to get even once they got back to  
the room, Serena sat down next to Darien and opened her  
menu.  
  
"I won't bite you know, you don't have to sit on  
the very edge of the seat." Darien watched as a hint of  
blush colored her cheeks and she scooted in closer to  
him.  
  
"It's so weird seeing the two of you together  
again, just like old times." Serena barely nodded,  
studying the menu with great interest. Maybe if she just  
ignored him, he would go away.  
  
Mehg sighed inwardly; Serena had just shut down  
at the sight of Rachael. She had given up before the  
battle had even begun. "So Serena, why don't you tell us  
about your upcoming trip to Chicago?"  
  
Serena narrowed her eyes for a moment and then  
she realized that Mehg was talking about the art show she  
had been entered in. "Why would anyone want to know  
about that?"  
  
Mehg shrugged and grinned, "Why not, it'll give  
you a chance to brag about your fantastic talent. You  
never show off."  
  
"That's because I don't like to show off Mehg.   
It's just an art show, no big deal." Serena went back to  
the menu, praying that Mehg would give up whatever  
stupid plan she had come up with and let her eat in peace.  
  
Mehg wasn't deterred so easily, if Serena wasn't  
going to brag herself, then she would brag for her,  
"Serena is a major up and coming artist Darien. She's  
been interviewed by 20 newspapers and magazines this  
month alone. She's flying to Chicago in a few days for  
a huge presentation of all her work. Some of her work  
sells for almost $10,000 and that's just her early stuff."  
  
His sister didn't need to know that he had saved  
all of the articles that had featured his talented  
ex-girlfriend or that he had purchased several pieces of  
her artwork. "That's fantastic Serena, I always knew that  
you could do it." he told her softly, she couldn't help the  
smile that came naturally at that remark.  
  
"Well I'm not there yet, but I'm finally beginning  
to live out my dream."   
  
The waiter came then and interrupted the  
conversation to take their orders.  
  
"I'll have a beer." Mehg ignored her brother's  
dark look, "What? I'm 21, I can order a beer if I want  
one."  
  
"I'll have an iced tea."  
  
"She'll have a beer too." Mehg grinned sweetly at  
her friend, maybe a little alcohol would cause Serena to  
calm down and start acting like herself again.  
  
The waiter waited for Serena's confirmation of  
this and too tired to fight her friend anymore she nodded  
her okay.  
  
"Make that three beers." Darien added.  
  
The waiter disappeared again and the tense air  
once again fell over the table.  
  
"Soooooo," Mehg drew out the first word, "What  
made you propose to Rachael the day before you came  
here?"  
  
Serena saw Darien's jaw tighten out of the corner  
of her eye and was surprised when he answered, "We've  
been seeing one another for the past year and a half, it  
seemed like the right thing to do."  
  
"You never mentioned her at Thanksgiving. Do  
mom and dad know?" Mehg pushed onward, unwilling to  
give up for Serena's sake. She knew deep down that her  
friend still loved Darien or at least felt something for  
him. If she would just say something who knows what  
might happen between them.  
  
"Of course mom and dad know. They love  
Rachael, they've always loved her." Serena flinched and  
Darien saw a crack in her armor before the mask of  
indifference slid back over her features.  
  
"Serena don't you have anything to say?" Mehg  
pleaded.  
  
Still stinging from the last Rachael remark,  
Serena snapped. "No, I don't! Now drop it Mehg!" she  
moved away from the table and stood up, "I'm not  
feeling very well. I'll just call a cab and go back to the  
dorm." As if it were an afterthought she turned to Darien,  
"It was nice seeing you again." As they watched her retreating  
back, Darien fought back the urge to immeditely run after   
her. He had to speak to his sister first.  
  
Mehg recoiled as Darien glared at her. "What?"  
  
Darien sighed and ran his hand through his  
already tousled hair, "Why did you do that? Did you  
need to push her like that? She obviously was  
uncomfortable, yet you just kept going and going." he  
shook his head, "One of us should go and talk to her."   
  
"I volunteer you big brother." Mehg said  
gleefully, she would get those two alone if it killed her.  
  
"I should make you do it since it was your fault  
she left." he watched as his sister's face fell, "However, I  
will go out there. Someone needs to fix the mess you  
made." she stuck her tongue out at him and he reached  
over and rumpled her hair, "I guess some things never  
change."  
  
He slid out of the booth and walked outside. The  
night air was surprisingly chilly for it being the beginning  
of March and he wished that he had remembered his jacket.   
All thoughts of how he was cold soon disappeared after  
he saw Serena sitting on the curb, drenched in amber  
light from the lanterns that lit the pathway of the  
restaurant. He hung back for a moment, finally able to  
drink her in like he had wanted to when he had first seen  
her earlier that afternoon. Of all of her expressions he  
had catalogued in his memory, he couldn't remember one  
that looked as sad as she did at that moment.  
  
She drew her knees up to her chin and rested her  
arms on them. She could feel him staring at her, his navy  
eyes looking straight into her soul. She wanted him to  
say something, if fact she was silently daring him to, so   
that she could snap on him.  
  
It had been stupid to think that he would wait for  
her, just because she had been waiting for him. She  
didn't harbor many regrets in her life but one of them was  
breaking up with him. Looking back on the whole  
relationship now just made her bitter and angry. It should  
be her with him now, planning a wedding and a future  
life together, not Rachael. She harshly brushed away the  
tears streaming from her eyes, damning herself over and  
over for losing her hard-won composure over him.  
  
"What do you want Darien?" the question came  
out more severe than she had intended but she saw no  
remnants of shock in his beautiful blue eyes when he sat  
down next to her.  
  
"I'm sorry." he couldn't think of anything else to  
say and she turned to him, a look of confusion gracing  
her features.  
  
"For what? I'm the one who should be sorry, I  
was the one who messed everything up."  
  
He snaked an arm around her shoulder and pulled  
her closer to him, "I'm sorry for ever making you feel  
inadequate, you were always good enough for me. I'm  
sorry that I didn't listen when you told me numerous  
times that you were uncomfortable with my world, I  
would have taken you away with me, distanced you from  
the glamour and glitz. I'm sorry that you had to live with  
the same regrets I've had to live with all these years  
because I know how they've eaten away at me every time  
Mehg mentioned your name." he gently brushed away  
one of her tears with his thumb, his soft caress numbing  
her slowly from head to toe.  
  
He always managed to do this to her, bring out   
feelings of warmth and comfort. She could feel her heart  
speeding up, sending the blood zinging through her veins,  
awaking her passion. Fighting every shout from her   
conscience and the guilty feelings that were starting to   
make her sick before she had even committed the act, she   
boldly brought his lips down to hers and kissed him.  
  
TBC...  
  
Please please please send feedback, Liz needs some love!  
  
Liz-chan 


	10. Deja Vu

Sweet Surrender  
Part 10/?  
By Elisabeth James  
Tenshialexiel221@yahoo.com  
  
Hi everybody! Lookie what I have here! Chapter 10!   
Minna sent me such nice feedback last time, I hope that I   
get a lot for this chapter too! If you're looking at my e-  
mail address above and saying, "That's different!"   
You're right! I started college the 15th and I needed a   
new way to keep in touch. My liz221 addy isn't gone, I   
just can't check it like I used to ^^ So please send all   
love to my new yahoo.com one!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon!  
  
  
~* Part 10: Déjà vu *~  
  
  
  
Her body felt as if it had been struck by a bolt of   
lightning, every nerve ending seemed to stand on end as   
her lips brushed against his. For an indeterminable   
moment Serena felt his hesitation, his uneasiness rolled   
over of her in waves, feeding her guilt. Her heart seemed   
to drop all the way to her feet when she felt his hands   
gently pushing away.  
  
She jerked her mouth from his, and held back a   
humiliated cry. Her face felt as if it was on fire and hot   
tears welled up in her eyes. But she refused to cry in   
front of him, she wasn't 17 anymore. She had pride and   
it demanded that she hide her pain from him, that he   
never see how much he still meant to her   
  
"I'm sorry." Serena whispered brokenly, "I   
shouldn't have done that." She turned her gaze to the   
sidewalk, tried to ignore the ache inside of her. She   
wasn't sure what she had expected to happen when she   
had kissed him. Certainly not the sparks that flew   
between them, she could still feel the electricity crackling   
around them. With a half smile she could remember   
thinking that the atmosphere was always filled with   
excitement and tension when he was near her. It rocked   
her that he had retained that power, and she wondered if   
he would ever lose it.  
  
Darien sighed deeply, "No, you shouldn't have.   
I'm engaged now; I'm going to be married in eight   
months." He took her hands in his, rubbed his thumbs   
over her knuckles in a soothing motion, "I'm in love with   
Rachael now."  
  
Serena managed a brave nod, "It was a… lapse of   
judgment. I thought I had you out of my system, only to   
see you tonight and find that a part of me never let you   
go."  
  
None of her had ever let him go, she felt as if her   
skin was permanently branded by his soul- shattering   
touches. In their four years apart, Serena had never been   
with anyone else. She couldn't remember a time when   
she didn't walk across the campus and not have at least   
one admirer trailing after her, begging her for date. Once   
and awhile she even took them up on the offer and   
enjoyed their company but none of them were Darien.   
None of them could even begin to measure up to the   
standards he had set for her. They lacked his quirky   
smile, his midnight eyes, and the burning passion that   
brought her to her knees just at the thought of it.   
  
Her earnest confession nearly brought forth one of   
his own but he kept his mouth shut until the urge had   
passed. In the moonlight she was a picture of ethereal   
beauty and staring into her eyes made him remember why   
he had fallen in love with her in the first place. Warmth   
sparkled in her lovely blue orbs, innocence echoed not far   
behind. Even now, she was the same unaffected girl she   
had always been to him. But older and wiser, she   
guarded her heart with much more care now from what   
his sister had told him. Except around him it seemed.  
  
"Darien?" she watched his attention snap back to   
hers, "You had a very strange look on your face, are you   
all right?"  
  
He wasn't immune to the look of concern she was   
giving him. The barriers he had tried to construct against   
her charm fell with crash. "I was just reminiscing. You   
haven't changed at all Sere."  
  
Serena narrowed her eyes, not sure if it was a   
compliment or an insult. She thought she had changed a   
great deal, matured and grown as a woman and as a   
human being. A ping of sadness flew through her at the   
fact that he still saw as the naïve 17 year old girl she once   
was.   
  
"I didn't mean it like that." He continued,   
analyzing her look of unhappiness correctly, "You're still   
the beautiful young woman I remember from three years   
ago. I know that you've changed but in all the ways that   
truly matter you've remained the same." He found   
himself thinking that he should have let her kiss him   
when he had the chance.  
  
He was blessed with a tender smile at his remark.   
How could he have ever thought that this visit would   
have no consequences when he still dreamed of her   
drugging kisses most nights? He had felt a strong   
unwavering need to see her before he tied his life to   
Rachael's. As he watched her now, he was wondering if   
that wasn't a huge mistake.  
  
"You guys?" Mehg's voice made them both snap   
their attention to the door of the restaurant. "The drinks   
are here, and the waiter wants to take our order. Are you   
staying or leaving Serena?" there was a silent apology in   
her eyes that Serena couldn't bring herself to refuse.   
  
"I guess I'll stay." She felt better now; things   
were more out in the open, lifting a heavy burden from   
her heart. She stood up and brushed herself off. Darien   
followed suit and they both went back inside to their   
table.  
  
The serious ambiance from before had lifted and   
the three fell into playful banter while they caught up   
with what was going on in each other's lives. Serena   
couldn't help but feel envious that Mehg and Darien were   
able to pick up exactly where they had left off, but she   
had never experienced the bond that brothers and sisters   
seemed to share.  
  
There had been countless business magazine   
covers that he had graced over the last three years, all of   
them stamped with his granite profile, his ruthless   
features. She had always looked at them and wondered if   
the Darien she had loved still existed within him or if he   
had been taken over by the merciless corporate raider   
everyone swore he had become. As he sat next to her,   
laughing at his sister's tale about her battle with her   
chemistry professor, she didn't understand how anyone   
could call him a cold-blooded, heartless man.  
  
He turned to her suddenly, his eyes gazing   
quizzically into hers. She hadn't realized that she had   
been staring. "Sorry, I guess I have something else on   
my mind." She told him semi-honestly. "I practically   
lived Mehg's feud with her. I get sick of hearing about   
it."  
  
Mehg laughed and took a sip of her beer, "Well,   
it's the only exciting thing to happen to me so far. I don't   
have trips to Chicago to focus on like you."  
  
Darien looked thoughtful for a moment, "When do you   
leave for Chicago Serena?" he had been waiting for a   
moment like this and he silently thanked his sister for   
providing it so flawlessly. He had been calculating a plan   
since they had gotten back to the table. He needed to   
purge his system of the enchanting woman sitting beside   
him; this relapse of feelings had to be a temporary thing.   
Darien was determined to prove this theory the only way   
he knew how, by spending as much time as possible with   
her. He couldn't afford to lose his head over her again.   
  
"The last week of Spring Break." Her eyes   
narrowed, she might have known little about the enigma   
of a man next to her but he was plotting something, she   
could see it in his clear blue eyes.  
  
He ate a few French fries and took a long gulp of   
the alcohol in front of him. If this didn't go according to   
how he wanted it to, then there was a good possibility   
that he was destroying his future with Rachael. But he   
had to take the risk, he couldn't marry another woman   
when he was still so unsure about how he felt about   
Serena. "I have a small getaway planned for two weeks   
from now. A business partner and I were going to spend   
a week at my luxury cabin on Lake Michigan. I can tell   
that Mehg is incredibly stressed from school," there was   
no mistaking the smirk that crossed his face as he   
watched Mehg take the bait. "It'll probably be   
unbelievably boring, just fishing and industry talk but I   
thought that-"   
  
"I would LOVE to go!" Mehg squealed, cutting   
her brother off. But she couldn't ignore the expression of   
naked pain that flashed across Serena's face that she   
didn't bother to hide.   
  
Serena watched as Mehg's features fought off the   
glow of excitement they had acquired so quickly. Mehg   
had promised to help her prepare for her first big show   
and she knew that her friend had just remembered that   
promise. "Go Mehg, enjoy your Spring Break. You   
deserve it." She said softly.  
  
This is precisely how Darien had expected Serena   
to react but it still startled him when it played out how he   
had imagined it. She hadn't invited herself along like   
most women would have done; she instead had accepted   
her fate with quiet disappointment and was trying to force   
herself to move forward. "Serena, you're more than   
welcome to accompany her." He informed her, as if he   
was bestowing some great honor into her. She couldn't   
help but feel like some sort of charity case he had taken   
in from the cold. What made her sick was that it was the   
truth. In a backwards way, it was the Harrisons who paid   
for her schooling. She had never resented the fact that   
Mehg got to play fairy Godmother, bestowing gifts to the   
people she loved but it bothered her how they all seemed   
to be able to give and give and never ask for anything in   
return.  
  
"Well…" she trailed off, knowing that the   
invitation was made out of politeness only and not meant   
to be accepted. She choked back a sharp gasp as Darien's   
hand settled down on top of hers. There was a warm,   
inviting glow shining in his eyes, a hint of a smile playing   
across his lips.  
  
"Please come, I didn't mean to sound so cold   
before. I want you there, really I do." She knew that her   
mouth was opening and closing like a fish and that she   
looked ridiculous.  
  
"Will Rachael be there?" Mehg asked sweetly   
with a slight hint of a violent undertone.  
  
Without taking his eyes from Serena's he replied,   
"No, it would be just the four of us."  
  
Serena felt Mehg kick her underneath the table   
and she winced, the pain brought back to reality. "It   
sounds wonderful."  
  
  
  
When Darien dropped them off at the dorm an   
hour and a half later Mehg was bursting with excitement   
from the developments of the evening. She unlocked the   
door and bounced exuberantly around the room.  
  
"He wants you! He wants you!" she playful   
teased over and over as she grabbed Serena's hands.   
Unable to contain her own happiness, she allowed herself   
to be swept up in Mehg's celebration. Serena didn't have   
the heart to tell Mehg about what had happened outside at   
the restaurant and how the rejection had left her soul   
aching pitifully inside her body. "Don't you worry; I'll   
distract the other guy. You and Darien won't even know   
he exists." She gave her an exaggerated wink and Serena   
dissolved into giggles as she collapsed into her bed.  
  
"You've begun to plan our wedding again haven't   
you?" Serena asked between fits of laughter. That sent   
both girls into gales of mirth once more.  
  
Mehg brushed a few wayward tears from her eyes as she   
tried to compose herself, "I guess some love never dies."   
Serena sobered immediately, her face frozen in a mask of   
pain. Their love had died, it had died four long years   
before at her very hands and he had shown her tonight   
that there was no chance of resurrecting it. "Serena?   
What's wrong?" Mehg only reply was a smothered sob as   
Serena buried her face in her hands. "I didn't mean to   
say that, honest. I'm so sorry."  
  
"I tried to kiss him tonight, outside the   
restaurant." Mehg forced a look of surprise onto her   
features; she had witnessed everything from the door.   
"He pushed me away and told me that he was with   
Rachael now. He doesn't want me Mehg, I don't know   
why he invited me but he doesn't want me."   
  
"Screw that!" Mehg exploded, "He's a damn liar   
and you're an idiot if you believe him. You haunted him   
for months after you left! I know he's never gotten over   
you, he told me so himself." Serena froze at this   
revelation; Mehg had never told her any of this before.   
"I don't know what he's got planned for this vacation but   
if you let him, he will come back to you."  
  
It seemed almost cruel of her friend to try and   
make her believe; when in love second chances were hard   
to come by. If she had haunted him, why was he   
marrying Rachael, why was he playing this game by   
inviting her along to this secluded cabin? It had be some   
sort of sick joke; there was no other logical explanation.   
A twisted retaliation for her attempted kiss in the parking   
lot. "I… I don't want him back." Her pride demanded   
that she save face. God! The man probably planned on   
this happening! He acted so kind and diplomatic, so   
forgiving. Her memories seemed blurred somehow,   
swirled together with the magazine articles she had read   
about the enigmatic man who was one step away from   
controlling one of the world's most powerful   
conglomerates. She had spent years telling herself that   
the Darien she had fallen in love with had to have been a   
fake, or else he didn't exist anymore. Part of her wanted   
to be the only woman to see that beautiful side of him,   
that she had been the one who killed it in him. She had   
tried to banish the recollections of his soft touch, his   
gentle kisses, and the way he had made love to her,   
Everything that had made her feel unworthy of him, like   
she didn't deserve to have him by her side. She had been   
too naïve to handle the relationship at 17 and now at 21   
she longed for it once more. To find out that she had   
possessed in her youth what she wanted most in   
adulthood almost broke her heart for the second time.  
  
"Serena… You tried to kiss him tonight; doesn't   
that say something to you?"  
  
"It was stupid!" she took a deep breath, "A total   
mistake on my part."   
  
Mehg studied her friend's frail features; she   
appeared to have aged five years in only a few hours.   
Darien had always had that effect on her and for the first   
time Mehg really began to wonder how good Darien was   
for her friend. Serena had constantly seemed to immune   
to all the other guys who pursued her; she never let   
anyone too close. Whether this was out of fear or just   
plain disinterest, Mehg wasn't sure of the true reason.   
  
She had watched her brother conquer the business   
world, like a whirlwind he seemed to sweep through,   
uprooting everything in his path. In many ways Darien   
was a total mystery to her, they had never had a normal   
relationship, he had never confided in her. The only   
thing he had ever told her that was truly personal was   
about how much Serena had hurt him when she had   
ended things with him. And she still couldn't for the life   
of her figure out why he was engaged to Rachael. The   
pieces of the puzzle refused to come together in Mehg's   
mind. "Look, think of it this way. You come with us to   
the cabin and enjoy a relaxing week off before your   
hectic schedule picks up again. You can just ignore   
Darien."  
  
Serena nodded, she had already reached the same   
conclusion but she was happy that Mehg was on the same   
page with her. "I guess I'll just have to wait and see what   
happens."  
  
  
  
Spring Break greeted the campus like a breath of   
fresh air, everyone was grateful for the much needed   
vacation. Even Serena found herself looking forward to   
the tranquility of Lake Michigan, despite the fact that the   
peacefulness was accompanied by the one person who   
could destroy it for her.   
  
She tried to block that from her mind as she threw   
two weeks worth of clothes into her gigantic suitcase.   
She was hopping a plane right from the cabin to O'Hare   
and would need to have everything she needed with her   
before she left for Michigan. A few things were being   
held at shops around town, waiting for her arrival but the   
majority of her things were traveling with her.   
  
Mehg had decided that they needed a junk food   
stock pile for the car ride there since Darien had decided   
it would be more fun to see the countryside by road then   
by plane. Serena found his decision quite odd but   
considering the amount of time Darien probably spent up   
in the air, it wasn't hard to fathom.   
  
She jumped on top of her suitcase and pulled the   
zipper as far as she could around before it stuck. God,   
how she despised packing. She enjoyed having roots   
somewhere and even if the situation called for her to be   
gone for only two weeks she couldn't help but be   
reminded of all those times her mother had moved her   
around, trying to find a solid job to support them.  
  
She tossed one last pair of shoes into the   
overflowing suitcase and slammed the lid shut. "Stupid   
thing, close!" With a sigh, Serena heaved herself on top   
of it and felt around the side for the latches to close it.   
She popped one into place and was in the process of   
getting the other one when Mehg flounced back into the   
room, Darien in tow.  
  
"You're still not done packing?" Mehg   
admonished, tsk tsking her friend as she walked across   
the room to grab her own suitcase.  
  
"I am too done Mehg; I just can't get it closed!"   
Darien grinned at the petite girl bouncing up and down,   
trying to secure her bulging luggage. He took Mehg's   
bags from her and set them by the door, he crossed the   
room to help Serena.  
  
"Sit still a moment." She blushed as he moved her   
leg aside, his hands lingering for a moment longer than   
they should have. He pounded the clasp with his fist and   
it clicked into place. Serena slid off the suitcase and   
grabbed the handle before Darien could offer assistance.   
She would be cordial only, aloof and withdrawn. She   
couldn't risk it again; it would be better this way, no   
more messy emotions to cloud her judgment. "Serena, let   
me help you with that, it looks heavy."  
  
It was heavy; the weight on her arm caused her to   
stoop over like a deformed hunchback. "I can handle it,   
really. It's not that heavy."  
  
Mehg raised her eyebrows in question but didn't   
say a word. Her friend had promised to keep herself out   
of the situation between her brother and her. But she   
couldn't contain her smile as Darien jerked the suitcase   
from Serena's hand, grabbed Mehg's bags and   
disappeared down the hallway.  
  
"I think you had better switch tactics babe."   
Serena shot her friend a scowl and followed Mehg from   
the room.  
  
  
The trip up to the cabin wasn't a bad one at all,   
the scenery was beautiful and Serena keep her attention   
focused on the trees that seemed to whip past the Land   
Rover because Darien drove with a lead foot. Mehg had   
decided to provide the entertainment by singing Phantom   
of the Opera tunes all the way across the Illinois border,   
insisting that Serena and Darien join in when they knew   
the words. Finally, after their third rousing go at   
"Masquerade" Darien turned off the highway onto a   
pretty little road lined with tall, green trees.  
  
Serena had expected the cabin to be a small, well   
kept wooden structure that Darien used to escape from   
the world, what she got instead was a sprawling mansion   
complete with a swimming pool, basketball court and a   
huge stone barbeque. Mehg climbed out of the car, a   
huge grin stretched from ear to ear, "It seems like forever   
since I was last up here. I forgot how beautiful it is, the   
air is so clean."  
  
Darien was busy unloading the trunk and didn't   
notice Serena's awestruck face. She really should have   
known better after all, the Harrisons had never owed   
anything small in their lives. She followed Darien and   
Mehg into the house, taking in the grandiose kitchen and   
immaculately kept living room with a massive limestone   
fireplace. Would her own work ever allow her to live in   
this kind of beautiful setting? She could only dream…  
  
Mehg went automatically to the room she had   
always had and Darien lead Serena down the hall to her   
own room. "This is your room, the bathroom is two   
doors down to your right, and Mehg's is right at the top   
of the stairs."  
  
"Where's your room?" the sentence slipped out,   
leaving Serena mentally banging her head against the   
wall.  
  
Darien pointed to the door right next to hers, "It's   
right here, if you need anything don't hesitate to ask me.   
Or Antonio, he'll be here later tonight."  
  
Serena nodded and let herself into her room, not   
looking back at Darien. She shut the door behind her and   
locked it. She pulled her suitcase over to the dresser and   
started to unpack, she had to give herself something to do   
to take her mind off the enigmatic figure that would be   
sleeping right next door to her.  
  
She had just hung the last dress she had brought in   
her closet when someone started knocking on her door.   
She backed out her closet and reached for the knob when   
the door opened on its own.  
  
"Come swimming with me!" Mehg stood in the   
doorway, dripping, already in her bathing suit, a towel   
slung around her hips.  
  
"It looks like you've already been there and   
back." Serena took two pairs of shoes from her bag and   
put them in the closet.  
  
"I was out there with Darien but he's being mean,   
I need you for backup." She walked over to Serena's   
open drawers and pulled out her two piece, "Put it on and   
let's go!"  
  
Serena sighed, she was almost done unpacking   
and this whole week was about relaxing. "I'll meet you   
down there in five minutes."  
  
"Is she coming down?" Darien asked as he slicked   
the wet hair out of his eyes. Mehg nodded and did a   
cannonball into the pool.  
  
"I made sure she brought her two piece suit too!"   
Mehg exclaimed when she surfaced. Darien smiled,   
happy with the outcome. He had sent Mehg to get   
Serena, he didn't want to girl to hole up in her room for   
the entire vacation.   
  
Darien felt strangely revitalized for being away   
from work only a very short time; the stress of the past   
year seemed to melt away, leaving a person that had been   
buried for a very long time. Even Mehg had taken notice   
of his unearthed pleasant attitude and the two had been   
splashing and dunking each other since they had climbed   
into the pool an hour before.   
  
"Why would I care if she brought her two piece?"   
Darien asked; a devilish grin upon his lips.  
  
"Because… Serena!" Mehg cut herself off as her   
best friend pushed the sliding glass door open and let   
herself out onto the patio. Darien spun around, unable to   
take his eyes from Serena's bikini clad form. She had the   
nerve to blush when she felt Darien's gaze on her, Mehg   
had taken the liberty of removing all of her normal   
bathing suits, leaving her with the one she had bought   
herself as joke last summer. She crossed her arms over   
her breasts and sat down in a patio chair. Darien's   
eyebrows arched in surprise as he was finally able to start   
thinking again and he once again began to terrorize   
Mehg.  
  
"You're not getting in?" Mehg cried, "I need your   
help!" she didn't notice as Darien dove under water and   
grabbed her foot, jerking her under the surface. She   
emerged seconds later and tried to take the offensive but   
no matter what she did Darien managed to turn the tables   
on her and dunk her.  
  
Serena watched from a distance, not wanting to   
interfere with the fun that was taking place. She was an   
outsider, no matter how long they had been friends and   
the situation with Darien was tense enough already. She   
studied the exotic flowers that wound their way up the   
thigh-high fence that surrounded the pool. Perhaps she   
could get some work done up here, the sunlight coming   
through the trees created the perfect ambiance for the   
woodland painting she had always wanted to do.  
  
Darien and Mehg shared a look in the pool as   
Serena continued to stare off into space, trying to figure   
out how to capture the beauty of this place on canvas.   
Darien moved to the stairs first and held up a finger to   
warn Mehg to keep quiet. He crept stealthily out of the   
water, careful not to let his feet slap against the   
pavement. Mehg held a hand to her mouth, barely   
restraining the laughter bubbling up from inside of her.   
Without a word Darien heaved the daydreaming girl from   
her chair.  
  
"What are you doing?!" Serena squawked, as   
Darien's strong tanned arms tightened around her. His   
slick chest rose and fell in front of her eyes and she   
fought to keep her gaze from traveling lower.  
  
"You're going to join us in the pool Serena, Mehg   
and I insist." With that he dumped her unceremoniously   
into the water. She landed with a muffled thud, a dull   
pain shot through her body as she sputtered her way up to   
the surface. She heard the two of them laughing at her as   
she coughed uncontrollably, trying to catch her breath.  
  
"Was… that… really necessary?" she asked after   
a few moments. The water was surprisingly warm and   
soothing but she still found herself attempting to cover   
herself up. This suit wasn't made for any kind of activity   
other than sunbathing.  
  
Darien jumped back in, soaking her once more   
with the splash from his cannonball. He surfaced with a   
boyish smirk that made her heart speed up, "I think it   
was, it's your vacation, you should be enjoying yourself."  
  
"Really?" Serena arched a perfectly plucked brow   
at him, just daring him to come after her. She glanced at   
her friend, silently communicating their attack strategy   
across the pool. Mehg nodded slightly and the two of   
them launched themselves at the unsuspecting male.   
Darien was barely a match for the combined strength of   
them and their sneak attack and he went down with little   
struggle.  
  
It went on like that for 15 minutes, girls against   
guy until all of them were laughing so hard they couldn't   
move anymore. Serena turned to give Mehg a high five   
after their last successful dunk and before she could step   
away, Darien's strong arms were wrapped around her   
stomach, lifting her up out of the water.  
  
"Darien, don't!" she tangled her arms around his,   
determined not to let go. He tried to wrestle free of her   
iron-tight grasp, shifting her around in his arms. He   
finally jerked his arms away and was ready to dunk her   
when she wrapped her legs around his stomach. She   
couldn't stop laughing; her blue eyes sparkled with life as   
she dared him to free himself.  
  
Darien immediately stilled, the proximity of her   
body, the softness of her skin brushing against his was   
driving him wild. Her hands came to rest on his   
shoulders, she could feel the bunched muscles beneath   
her fingertips and her smile froze. "I'm sorry, I wasn't   
thinking…"   
  
He looked at her angelic face, staring uncertainly   
back into his. He never would have believed that Serena   
would attempt to seduce him but that's what she was   
doing none the less and he felt like an ass for taking   
advantage of the situation any further.  
  
"I should go and start dinner, I know I'm getting   
hungry." He gently pried her legs from his waist and   
removed her hands from his shoulders. Serena could   
only watch in silence as he climbed from the pool,   
grabbed his towel and went back into the house.  
  
He walked into the kitchen, making sure he was   
completely out of their view and closed his eyes. He was   
an engaged man, he cared about Rachael and he was   
betraying her trust by even entertaining thoughts of   
Serena. But he couldn't help himself.  
  
Rachael would be the perfect wife, she   
complimented him flawlessly… But she had never filled   
him with the need to be by her side every waking   
moment, she didn't set him on fire with her kisses or melt   
him with her gentle caresses. And he had never looked   
into her eyes only to find love shining back at him. He   
shook his head, he had gone down the road before and it   
had broken his heart, she had broken his heart.   
  
He knew it was wrong to even consider it…  
  
But then why did it feel so right?  
  
~* To Be Continued… *~  
  
tenshialexiel221@yahoo.com!  
  
E-MAIL ME!!!! PLEASE!!! 


	11. Temptation Waits

Sweet Surrender  
Part 11/?  
By Elisabeth James  
Tenshialexiel221@yahoo.com  
Rated: PG for some swearing  
  
Welcome to part 11 of Sweet Surrender! This chapter is   
very WAFFy, seriously this time. Happy ending is in   
sight, I promise! Enjoy!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon but I do own the   
characters of Mehg and Antonio ^^  
  
  
~* Part 11: Temptation Waits*~  
  
  
"What just happened?" Serena whispered the words but   
Mehg heard her anyway. She came up behind her friend   
and put an arm around her shoulder.  
  
"You just freaked the crap out of him; I could see it in his   
eyes." Serena narrowed her eyes as Mehg grinned wildly   
at her. "I think he's falling back in love with you."  
  
Serena's brain shut down at the thought and the words   
she was trying to form came out in a garbled mess. "Not   
possible." She managed finally, pulling away from her   
friend. "I need to go finish unpacking." She hoisted   
herself out of the pool and walked over to the chair she   
had abandoned her towel on and grabbed it.   
  
"Deep down, you're hoping for this. Can't you just be   
honest with yourself for once?" Serena stiffened for a   
brief moment and without a word walked into the house.  
  
She didn't dare even to look into the kitchen and ran   
upstairs as quickly and as quietly as she could. She   
darted into her bedroom and shut the door behind her and   
clicked the lock. A deep sigh of relief slid out of her as   
she leaned back against the cool wood. She was   
supposed to be relaxing damnit, and right now she was   
tenser than she had ever been at school.  
  
She rolled her shoulders, trying to loosen the muscles that   
had tensed up. How could she have been so shameless?   
Darien must be furious with her right now, first she tried   
to kiss him and now she had practically thrown herself at   
him in the pool. She shook her head, deeply disappointed   
with herself. Her plan to ignore Darien obviously wasn't   
going to work; he wouldn't let her shut him out. But he   
didn't seem to want to let her in either. She was stuck in   
a limbo, caught between worlds.  
  
She dropped to the floor and drew her knees up to her   
chin. Didn't Mehg know that she was being honest with   
herself? She had confessed her feelings to Darien and   
had been shot down. She had accepted her fate. It would   
take a miracle now and she wasn't sure if she believed in   
things like that happening.  
  
Serena ran her trembling fingers through her hair; she   
didn't want to remember the way they had embraced in   
the pool, his warmth surrounding her, his soft touch. For   
a moment four years had disappeared and nothing had   
changed.   
  
Darien couldn't be falling for her again, that ship had   
sailed, Mehg had to be wrong. It had been a simple   
mistake, she would apologize before dinner and that   
would be the end of it.  
  
With new resolve Serena rose to her feet, glancing at the   
clock, she still had time to shower before dinner.  
Darien stood outside her bedroom door, hand lying flat   
against the cool wood. He wanted to knock and make his   
presence known but something kept holding him back.   
He could hear her moving around inside and then the   
bathroom door clicking shut. Mehg came up behind him;   
a frown troubled her attractive features.  
  
"Is there a reason you're just standing there, looking at   
her door?" she asked softly, watching his intense   
expression lighten the second he heard her voice.  
  
He turned around, "I was going to apologize for how I   
reacted down in the pool. She must think I hate her."   
  
Mehg nodded, "Probably. Do you?" there was no   
condescension in her voice, only concern. There was so   
much tension and uncertainty between her brother and   
best friend she wasn't sure how Darien really seemed to   
feel.  
  
Darien clenched his fists, "Of course not! How could I   
hate Serena? She's the only woman I've ever really   
loved."   
  
Mehg remained perfectly calm in the wake of his outburst   
and stared serenely at his face. "Why did you propose to   
Rachael then, if you still have feelings for Serena?"   
  
He leaned up against the wall and crossed his arms over   
his chest, "It seemed like the right thing to do at the time.   
But then I started having second thoughts, thinking about   
Serena again. I've made a huge mistake."  
  
Mehg sighed and shook her head, "You're in danger of   
losing them both, you had better find a way to fix things   
before they get any worse." She planted a quick kiss on   
his smooth cheek and disappeared into her own room.  
  
The sound of Serena's sweet voice carried from the   
bathroom and he could her singing. He grinned and   
shook his head in amusement. He had been stupid to let   
her walk away from him four years ago; he should have   
chased after her and never let her go.  
  
Serena embodied everything he had ever wanted in a   
woman. It had taken him four years of hardening his   
heart against the very thought of her to make him realize   
that he could never truly extract it from her grasp. It   
wouldn't be fair to marry Rachael when he was still   
practically in love with Serena.  
  
He would fix things tonight, it had to be done.  
  
***  
  
"Rachael, would you just listen to me!" Darien ran his   
fingers through his hair as he paced around his bedroom.   
His soon to be ex-fiancée wouldn't stop shrieking in his   
ear.  
  
"You did this on purpose you jerk! You strung me along,   
filling me with false hope! This was your revenge on me   
dumping you years ago." Rachael sobbed.  
  
"Look, asking you to marry me was a mistake. I've never   
gotten over Serena…" he drew in a deep breath, "You   
deserve someone so much better than someone who can't   
fully devote their love and their heart to you exclusively.   
Please try to understand Rachael, I never wanted to hurt   
you like this."   
  
Rachael fell silent for a moment and Darien thought she   
might have hung up when her cultured voice spoke the   
last words she would ever say to him, "We could have   
been wonderful together. But you'll never know. Have a   
great life with her Darien." With a soft click, she was   
gone.  
  
***  
  
Dinner was a somber affair, Serena kept her eyes focused   
on the plate in front of her for the entire meal and Mehg's   
attempts at lightening the mood fell on deaf ears. Darien   
was thoughtfully silent and Mehg was confident that he   
had finally made a decision about what to do about the   
situation.  
  
"So how about we watch a movie tonight?" Mehg tried to   
get a response from her friend and brother one last time.   
Serena glanced up at the question and shrugged, she had   
been planning to spend the night in her room anyways, it   
didn't matter to her what Mehg and Darien did.  
  
Darien stood up to put his plate in the dishwasher, "A   
movie sounds great Mehg, I'll even let you pick." Mehg   
grinned as she cleared her plate and followed him back   
into the kitchen. Serena watched the two of them through   
the open door, joking around as they loaded the   
dishwasher. She hadn't eaten a thing really, just pushed   
the food around her plate. She wasn't hungry and Darien   
had been staring at her since dinner began.  
  
She leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. She   
had been on the brink of tears all afternoon and if she   
didn't get out of this horribly stifling atmosphere soon   
she would go insane with wanting. He hadn't come right   
out and said that he didn't want to speak to her anymore,   
his silence made things more than clear.  
  
Deep breaths, she told herself over and over again. This   
was nothing; she had been without him for the last four   
years, what was the rest of eternity? She brushed a stray   
lock of hair away from her eyes and took one last   
composing gulp of air.  
  
She had just picked up her plate when the sound of bells   
made her put it back down. Someone was at the door.   
Serena glanced into the kitchen and saw that Mehg and   
Darien had disappeared. She wandered out of the dining   
room and toward the foyer, looking around for another   
person, this wasn't her house and she felt strange about   
just opening the door.  
  
The bells echoed throughout the house once more,   
somehow managing to sound more impatient than before.   
She sighed in annoyance and walked over to the large oak   
door herself. Brushing aside the lacy curtain over the   
front window, Serena peered out into the darkness. A   
tall, well-built, dark haired man waved back at her. She   
almost hit herself for her stupidity; it was Darien's   
business associate, Antonio.  
  
"I'm so sorry! I don't know what happened to Darien   
and Mehg and I'm a guest here. I didn't want to open to   
door and let someone in without their knowledge." The   
sentence flew from her mouth the second she pulled open   
the heavy door. "Please come in."  
  
"Don't worry Miss. No harm done." His accent was   
heavenly and he had a killer grin that showed off   
gleaming white teeth to perfection. "I don't think I   
caught your name in that little apology of yours."  
  
Serena couldn't help the blush that heated her cheeks, the   
man oozed charm and she wasn't immune to it. "I'm   
Serena, Mehg's best friend."  
  
He took her hand and raised it swiftly to his lips, placing   
a gentle kiss on its back. "I am Antonio Gonzalez,   
Darien's business colleague." He grinned again, "I   
thought for a moment you might be Rachael, Darien   
always tells me that his girlfriend is as beautiful as a   
fallen angel."  
  
Serena smiled warmly at the backward compliment.   
"Well Rachael far surpasses my beauty any day. I'm   
flattered though." They walked into the dining room, she   
was hoping that Darien or Mehg had reappeared but they   
were still MIA. "We already ate, but I can fix you   
something if you're hungry."  
  
Antonio shook his head, "I dined with some friends   
before leaving, I will be fine until breakfast." Tense   
silence washed over them, Serena was at a loss for what   
to say.  
  
"Antonio! Finally, I was wondering when you were   
going to show up!" Darien's voice carried from the   
kitchen as he came back inside from the patio. Serena   
stiffened for a moment as he brushed past her on his way   
to greet his friend.  
  
"I got lost, amigo, your house is too hard to find!" the   
two exchanged a handshake and a brief hug. Darien   
gestured toward the living room and the group made their   
way into the more comfortable setting. Serena cast a   
longing look toward the stairs but it would have been   
rude to excuse herself so soon. She would just have to   
stick it out as best she could.  
  
She caught her best friend staring openly at Mr.   
Gonzalez, Mehg never bothered to hide her feelings when   
she was interested in a man. But Antonio didn't seem to   
mind, he seemed just as taken with Mehg. Darien   
seemed oblivious to the heated gaze between the two and   
offered his friend an introduction to his sister. "Antonio,   
this is my little sister Mehg. Mehg, this is my good   
friend Antonio." Antonio gave Mehg the same sweet kiss   
on the hand he had given Serena but his lips lingered   
against her skin longer. She let out a giggle and   
reddened. Mehg plopped down onto the overstuffed   
loveseat and Antonio occupied the seat next to her. The   
two appeared to be in their own little world.  
  
Serena kept her distance from the intimate affair, she   
didn't really feel apart of the group at all. Darien had   
ceased to make eye contact with her since he had come   
back and didn't want to interrupt her best friend's   
conversation. She cast a fleeting glimpse at the clock on   
the mantle, five more minutes and then she could   
disappear.  
  
Serena wasn't aware of how miserable she looked seated   
away from the group but Mehg knew that her friend was   
on the verge of breaking down into tears. She could read   
Serena's face like an open book when she was upset and   
Mehg politely tried to include her friend in the   
discussion.  
  
"So Serena, what are you going to do in Chicago besides   
the art show next week?" Mehg turned to Antonio,   
"Serena's a fantastic artist, and her work is some of the   
best I've ever seen."  
  
Antonio narrowed his eyes a little, "Serena, what is your   
last name?" Darien sat forward a little and cleared his   
throat. Antonio glanced his way and then snapped his   
attention back to Serena.  
  
"It's Bancroft." She replied softly. Darien shook his head   
at her. She didn't understand, she wasn't allowed to   
speak now?  
  
"That's why your name sounds familiar to me; Darien   
showed me some of your paintings at his apartment in   
New York. They are beautiful works of art, you should   
be proud."   
  
Serena felt the tears jump into her eyes at the poignancy   
of Antonio's words. He had her work hanging in his   
home; he passed by it every day. She was still a part of   
his life, even if it was only through inanimate objects.   
"That's… wonderful." She quickly yawned, trying to   
make her exit look authentic. "I really am exhausted; I   
should head up to bed. It was very nice to meet you Mr.   
Gonzalez. Goodnight Mehg, Darien." She whispered his   
name almost like an afterthought before climbing up the   
stairs and vanishing into her room.  
  
The silence hung like a pall over the room as the three   
studied what had just taken place. Mehg was the first to   
regain speaking ability, "Go up there." Antonio nodded   
his agreement.  
  
Darien scowled, still angry about Serena finding out that   
he had bought her paintings, "Why? I didn't do   
anything."   
  
His sister groaned, "Exactly! You ignored her during   
dinner; you ignored her while we were talking just now.   
Stop being an asshole about things and fix them!" When   
Darien didn't budge from his chair, Mehg tried a different   
approach, "I know that look of hers Darien, she's   
heartbroken and you owe her the truth. Tell her that you   
called Rachael and ended things. She needs to know   
what's in your heart and the longer you wait, the harder   
it's going to be to win her back."  
  
Antonio felt the need to put his own two cents in, "Your   
beautiful sister makes an excellent point, go and make up   
with the girl you love." Mehg smiled coyly at the man   
next to her on the sofa, she couldn't help but blush a little   
from his compliment.  
  
He ran his hand through his hand and sighed. Antonio   
and Mehg both gave him a big grin when he started to   
rise from the chair. Each step seemed to instill him with   
more fear than the one before it but this was something he   
had to do. He needed Serena more than anything else in   
the entire world, she was like oxygen to him and he had   
spent years in deprivation. He crept through the dark   
hallway and stopped at her door, frozen in the same   
position from earlier that day.  
  
She was crying inside, he could hear her heartbreaking   
sobs from outside. He had done this to her, caused her   
pain and suffering. But she had done the same when she   
had left him; it was a vicious cycle of hurt. All he had to   
do was knock on that door and end it.  
  
The soft rapping on her door quieted her for a moment.   
She stared at it, wondering if it was Mehg and if she   
wanted to let her friend inside the room. Finally she   
brushed the tears from her eyes and climbed off the bed.   
She undid the lock and pulled open the door, and then   
had the urge to slam it closed again.  
  
Serena couldn't pull her eyes from his troubled gaze. He   
was aching too; she could see it in the way he was   
shaking. But it wasn't for her; it couldn't possibly be for   
her.   
  
"Can I come in?" his voice was low and husky, and she   
was weak against the persuasiveness in his voice. She   
opened the door a little wider and he stepped inside the   
room. She took a small step back, needing to put distance   
between them. But he wouldn't let her and countered her   
move with a swift one of his own. He gently grabbed her   
arm and pulled her closer. One arm snaked around her   
back, gathering her up against him.  
  
She could barely breathe; she was choked by the   
memories of being held by him, the way he smelled   
brought her back to a time she never hoped to visit again.   
Serena allowed herself to melt against him, unable to   
fight against the weakness in her legs any longer. He was   
there to support when she rested her cheek against his   
chest, feeling his torso rise and fall against her face. And   
she let the tears fall.  
  
Neither one knew how long they stood like that in the   
darkness, just holding onto one another for dear life,   
terrified of drowning in the moment. He stroked her hair   
as she wept and shuddered up against him. He bided his   
time to speak, waiting until she was ready to truly hear   
his words.  
  
"It's over…" she stilled up against him, "with Rachael   
that is. I talked to her today; things just wouldn't work   
out between us." Serena could barely contain her joy, this   
was real, he wasn't going to turn around and walk out of   
her life after this. She pulled away from him slightly, her   
heart pounding a fierce tattoo on her chest.  
  
She drew in a shaky breath, "I still love you Darien, I   
don't think that I ever stopped." He could only stare at   
her for a moment, taking in every feature, breathing in the   
sweet fragrance of her hair. Tears still clung to her   
lashes, and her eyes were deliciously navy. She was   
offering him everything that he would ever need for the   
rest of his life.  
  
The centimeters between their lips were closed in a   
fraction of a second as he bent down to kiss her. The   
same electric shock that had passed between them in the   
restaurant parking lot crackled around them now. The air   
hummed with attraction as he tenderly parted her lips   
under his own. He started to push her backward toward   
the bed until she fell back onto it, him on top of her.   
  
She entwined her arms around his neck, ran her hands   
through his soft hair. She felt as if she had been   
aimlessly wandering for years and now had finally found   
her home, in the arms of her ex-lover. There was only   
this moment in time; nothing else mattered except for   
him…  
  
She savored every touch, every stroke of his fingers   
against her sensitive flesh. Then he stilled above her, and   
moved his head over her heart. She tried to catch her   
breath as he rested his head against her breast. His words   
suddenly broke the silence and her heart.  
  
"I need you Serena. When you left me… I never thought   
that I would live past that first week. But I know why I   
did now, because deep down I knew that someday, we   
would be together again. I only lived to touch to you   
again, to hold you like this."   
  
There was peace in her heart for the first time in years.   
The world around her finally made sense again and she   
felt like she was soaring through the clouds. The pressure   
lifted from her chest as she lifted her head to look into her   
eyes, a silent question echoing in their depths.  
  
Once again, this was right and she felt like she had that   
night after the party, where nothing could go wrong. She   
giggled and pecked his forehead, "A thousand times yes   
Darien."  
  
He wasted no time.   
  
~* To Be Continued *~  
  
FEEDBACK ME! *sweet smile* Please?  
  
Liz 


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